If They Had Danced Again
by horacethepig
Summary: The Powers That Be decided to be more proactive in this version of the Multiverse. Harry Potter had a much better Yule Ball, as well as the best back-up in the business against Lord Voldemort...
1. Chapter 1: A Different Yule Ball

The rights to Mary Poppins belong to Walt Disney and to the estate of the late P.L. Travers. Those to Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling. Those to Rex Milligan belong to the late Anthony Buckeridge. Those to the Dana girls, Linda Craig and others to the Stratemeyer Syndicate. Those to Once Upon a Time are held by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. Other rights belong to the BBC, DC Comics/Warner Brothers/Hanna-Barbera, Marvel Comics, Terrance Dicks, Jim Butcher, Joss Whedon, the estates of the late Enid Blyton, the late Charles Addams, the late Malcolm Saville, the late Ian Fleming, the late Peter O'Donnell, the late Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and more. I own nothing and make claim to the same nothing.

Nowhere, Nowhen

"That Yule Ball is going badly for Harry Potter in _yet another reality_," said the elegant tall brunette in Edwardian apparel. "_This time_ I intend to _interfere…_"

"_No!_" growled the great lion. "_We shall! The Wizard Son of Adam is to be bonded to his soulmates by True Love's Kisses. The first bond shall drive out the abomination from his scar. That vile taint being gone should give him an advantage in battle…_"

"What about the Slytherin locket?" asked the blonde lady wearing blue trousers held up with yellow braces and a white jacket opened to reveal a blue top with a rainbow band across the middle. "Harry won't be a parselmouth when it needs to be destroyed.

"Perhaps," the tall elderly man, white-robed, white-haired and white-bearded, noted, "some gifts can be given him and his bonded earlier."

"Maybe, Mithrandir, we can upgrade some of the bonds too?" Mary Poppins mused, to nods from the Doctor, Aslan, Cole Hawlings, Matilda McPhee and others. The _Powers That Be_ had decided! In this reality, Harry Potter would have a very different Yule Ball…

Christmas Day, 1994

"_Harry,_ _do you want another dance with me or not…?_"

Harry considered the situation for a moment, unaware of the Powers influencing his thoughts from a Realm Unseen. _Cho and Cedric seem happy together. Parvati is pretty and sweet-natured. Why not?!_

"Sure, Parvati. I would love another dance."

This time, Harry concentrated on the girl in his arms during the waltz. "So, Parvati, what do you and Padma do during the holidays? Do you go back to India?"

"_Back to…?_ I'm from the Anglo-Welsh borders, Harry! My parents are Indian natives and I am named after a Hindu goddess, follow Hinduism and speak Hindi and other Indian languages. Whilst I am proud of my heritage, I see myself as British-Indian."

"I'm sorry, Parvati. That North-West accent should have given the game away! At least, I now know more about you.

"I'm raised in the muggle world by relatives who hate me. What do witches and wizards not named Weasley do during the holidays?"

"_What?!_ Who would _hate you?!_ Harry, you are one of the kindest and sweetest boys that I know.

"Speak to Dumbledore, Harry. Longbottom, Bones, Abbott, Macmillan, Greengrass, Davis and Patil are the traditional Potter allied houses. We would take you in like a shot. Padma might take some pacifying though if you invite Ron over."

"I must speak to Ron, Parvati. Padma doesn't deserve this. Neither does Hermione, quite frankly."

"Well, back to the holidays, Pads and I regularly meet up with Lav, Sue Bones and Han Abbott to sunbathe by a pond in our back garden. It is good to get into our bikinis on hot summer days."

"I think that you would look _hot_ in a bikini."

"Thank you, Harry. I wouldn't mind seeing you in swimming trunks for that matter…"

After another couple of dances, Harry found himself enjoying the evening. Parvati was vivacious, charming and funny, not to mention an absolute stunner. In fact, they got on so well that they shared a quick kiss under the mistletoe during a stroll in the gardens after their fourth dance.

"_Wow! You are a good kisser, Harry!_ I felt like… Have you heard of a True Love's Kiss?"

"It sounds like something out of Sleeping Beauty, Parvati."

"I'm sorry, Harry. Who was Sleeping Beauty?"

"As in the… Of course! Wizards presumably have different fairy stories.

"What stories did your mother tell you and Padma as children? Sleeping Beauty is a muggle one, about a princess cursed by a wicked fairy to sleep for a hundred years. She was awakened when a handsome prince found her and kissed her. Is this something like that?"

"Sort of, Harry. Can you kiss me again please? Only longer and with tongues this time."

As the couple kissed, Harry felt a presence enter his head and then felt a pain in his scar. There was a black smoke coming out of his forehead, then he thought that he heard an intense scream. After that, he felt nothing from his scar at all.

"Are you OK, love?" Parvati asked after they had finally come up for air. "Something happened to your scar."

"Never better, Parvati.

"There was a feeling of _you_ in my head and then of _something else_ being driven out. I felt peace for the first time in my life.

"Parvati, I love you. Will you be my girlfriend?"

"Of course, my darling Harry!" she said, before kissing him again.

"_Monster!_" came a scream from nearby. Harry and Parvati went to explore and found Pansy Parkinson trying to push Theodore Nott away from her. Her clothes were torn in a way that made it abundantly clear what he had been attempting. Nearby, Millicent Bulstrode, Tracey Davis and Daphne Greengrass were tied to trees. Harry stunned Nott and vanished the ropes securing the three bound girls. As he did so, Parvati pulled a terrified Pansy into a tight comforting hug.

"Are you OK, Pansy? I take it that _bastard_ was trying it on with you again?!"

"Yes, Parvati. Neither of us are old enough for _that_ yet and, as far as Nott knew, I am still with Draco. After he repeatedly made goo-goo eyes at Tori, I dumped Draco an hour ago.

"Nott saw that the four of us were sitting quietly by the trees here, before casting _Incarcerous_ at Millie, Daffy and Trace. Once they were tied up, he jumped on me before I could reach my wand. _Oh Merlin, if you hadn't… If you hadn't…_"

"You saved Pans' virtue, Pot… I mean, _Harry._" Daphne's use of his given name surprised him.

"Yes, thank you _Harry!_" Pansy not only used his forename but hugged him. The other three Slytherin girls then took it in turns to embrace him too. Parvati merely pulled him into a long kiss.

"Meet my _soulmate_, girls!" Parvati gushed.

"We should threaten you with dire consequences if you hurt her, Harry Potter," Daphne told him. "As long as you don't, welcome back to the alliance, Harry."

"My _sweetheart_ mentioned that we are old allies, Miss Greengrass…"

"_Call me Daphne please, Harry!_ In private, my friends call me Daffy. I would be honoured if you and your missus did the same. Someone who saves Pans from a fate worse than death has that right."

"_Missus?!_ I would love to marry Parvati one day, but we are too young for that yet."

"Magically, we are wed already, _my love._ All we need is the ceremony and the consummation. Not that I am in a hurry for either, particularly as we are both still under the Age of Consent."

"In that case," Harry held Parvati close, "I had better speak to your father. I need to formally ask him for your hand in marriage." He kissed her tenderly on the lips.

"A true bond, that's rare," Millicent commented. "I think that the confirmation spell is…" She cast an incantation Harry didn't recognise accompanied by a combination of wand movements that he was unfamiliar with as well. "_What the bloody hell…?!_

"Harry, you have romantic soul bonds forming with the four of us as well as Parvati and another in Hogwarts, plus one far away. All bonds between us are fully mutual, too. In addition, there are a few platonic familial bonds forming. One seems to be with Padma. No surprise there, as identical twins invariably have strong bonds."

"_Thank Merlin for that! If all romantic bonds are fully mutual, I'm glad incest is off the table!_"

"You and me both, Parvati, assuming Tori isn't the other Hogwarts one!"

"If I can call you Daffy, you can call me Parv! Considering that we are all going to be shagging at some point, you all can.

"Harry darling, if you can snog Millicent, I'll snog Daffy, and Pansy and Tracey can snog each other."

"OK, Parv…" He was cut off by Millicent smashing her lips against his! Once again, he felt a presence in his mind. If Parvati was exotic and alluring, Millicent was pugnacious and yet strangely sweet._ I'll have fun being married to… Hang on…_

"There are certain situations in which polygamy is legal in the wizard world, Harry. Multiple romantic soul bonds are a magical blessing and thus you are considered married to both Millicent and I now."

"_Anyone who can address Daphne as Daffy can call me Millie, Pansy Pans and Tracey Trace, Parv!_"

"Thank you, Parv.

"Hang on. I didn't ask that question out aloud. I was snogging Millie at the time! How did you know what I was thinking?!"

_You thought it, Harry. She heard it as you are hearing me – in your mind._

_Millie? Parv? You can hear my thoughts?_

_Yes, dearest, we can. There should be other benefits too._

_Cool, Parv!_

Harry smiled at the girl in his arms. Millie Bulstrode was a big girl, true, but her tall muscular build and prominent jaw seemed pretty from close range. Her bust and bum may have been large for a girl still in her early-to-mid teens, but both were perfectly proportioned. There was not an ounce of fat on her. Her long raven hair was silky smooth. A beaming smile on her face enhanced her beauty. "_You are gorgeous inside and out, Millie! Welcome to the family, darling!_

"I'll snog Pans this time; I think. Daffy, you can snog Millie. That leaves Parv and Trace."

Before too long, first, Pansy, then Daphne and finally Tracey were all in the bond. Whilst Daphne, a tall slender brunette, and Tracey, a petite redhead, were both conventionally beautiful, Pansy's pug-nose seemed cuter from close range and her long legs, jet black hair and megawatt smile were most attractive indeed.

"Well, we need to get Nott to the teachers before the stunner wears off," Harry decided. "Should we take you to Madame Pomphrey, Pans? Just in case he…"

"I was rescued before he inflicted anything other than a few bruises, Harry. I still have my maidenhead in place too!

"You are the only man that will ever _have me_, Harry darling!"

"You are an _absolute arse, Ronald Weasley!_" Hermione was yelling in tears as Harry levitated the still unconscious Nott into the Great Hall. Padma was standing beside her, clearly sharing the same high opinion of Ron!

"_Professor Dumbledore!_" Harry yelled. "_Nott here tried to force himself onto Pansy! As one of my bond mates…_"

"_Bond mates, Harry?!_" the headmaster asked. He cast the same spell that Millie had. "_I see…_"

"_No, Headmaster,_" a voice said from behind him. Professor Dumbledore turned around but did not see anyone. Six feminine figures appeared out of nowhere, all in white robes in the Classical Hellenistic style. "I am Athena, and these are Aphrodite, Artemis, Hecate, Hera and Hestia. Yes, we are the ones worshipped as goddesses.

"We shall take over the educations of Harry Potter and his Coven of Hecate from now on. Farewell!" As Athena said this, she, Aphrodite, Hera, Hestia and several Hogwarts Third, Fourth, Fifth- and Sixth-Year students disappeared. "Don't worry, Dumbledore. They shall be back for the Second and Third Tasks. In the meantime, farewell!" With those words, Hecate also vanished into thin air.

Harry was surprised to find himself on a beautiful island paradise, alongside his girls, Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, Angelina, Alicia, Katie, Hermione, Padma, Lavender, Neville, Susan, Hannah, Astoria and a Ravenclaw girl with protuberant blue eyes and dirty-blonde hair who seemed to be friends with Ginny. There was also a pallid brother and sister about his age with raven hair and Goth fashion senses, a tall muscular brunette and a tall well-built man with a white streak in the centre of his red hair, as well as the six goddesses. Sirius Black (as Padfoot), Remus Lupin and a woman with pink hair were also there. A gigantic lion was chatting to a strangely-dressed woman who was stood by an old-fashioned police box.

"_Bonjour!_ My name is Wednesday Addams," the sister said. She was tall and slender, with long hair in pigtails. Her brother was well-built with his hair closely cropped. "This is my brother Pugsley.

"I am here to join the soulmates of Harry Potter."

"We are to be your tutors," Athena said, "alongside Princess Diana of the Amazons and Jason Blood over there. Aslan the Lion of Narnia, the time-travelling alien known only as the Doctor and others shall provide specialist tuition as necessary. We intend to use you as the start of a new generation of mages.

"For the next few days, we shall concentrate on building relationships, rather than academia. Millie, Pansy, your fathers are each going to formally disown you shortly. Harry, do you agree that they are bonded to you in love? Do you acknowledge them as two of your wives?

"I do so agree and acknowledge them both as such," Harry declared, unsure of where the words came to him from.

"Then both Magic and Law acknowledges that both girls now and forever more are full members of Clan Potter. Harry, Millicent and Pansy Potter, embrace each other as brides and groom!" They did so with gusto. Pansy whispered to Harry that his sixteenth-birthday present from her would be her virginity, which earned her a long kiss.

"So, Ginny Weasley, step forward please." She did so. "You are Harry's remaining soulmate from Hogwarts."

"_Err… Hi, Harry,_" Ginny said hesitantly. "I didn't ask for this. Yes, I have a crush on you…"

Harry cut her off by kissing her passionately. "No, Ginny dearest. You are in love with me and I with you. Trust me, darling. _I know a True Love's Kiss by now!_

"I may not have fully realised it, but I think that my feisty redheaded firecracker drew me to her like a moth to a flame." He kissed her again. "Neville, I'm sorry. I hope that…"

"We went as friends, Harry," Neville laughed. "I'm sure that there is someone out there for me…"

"There is, Neville Longbottom. There are two pretty Hufflepuff girls and an equally pretty Gryffindor a few feet away from you. Kiss Lavender, Hannah and Susan passionately to form the bonds." He did so. The three girls then shared their own kisses before snuggling up to their new bonded husband.

"What about me?" Ron asked. "Do I get a pretty girl or two?"

"You are soulmates with Hermione Granger and Padma Patil."

"Is it a three-way bond?" Padma asked. "At least I get to snog a brainy beauty whilst Ron learns how not to be an _absolute arse_ if so!"

"Well, I'm up for a snogging session to find out, Padma dear," Hermione said, kissing her friend. "_This brainy beauty is very happy to be bonded to her fellow brainy beauty._ If Ron ever pulls his head out of his arse, I think that the three of us should be very happy together."

"The question, Hermione, is whether Ron is capable of reaching full maturity or not. Well, if the two of us take him under our firm hands…"

"_I give in!_ The sight of you two kissing is _hot!_"

"We would like apologies, Ron!"

"_Fine! Hermione, Padma, I apologise for being an absolute arse!_"

"That will do. Padma, he's your date. If you want to kiss him first…?"

"I would be delighted to, Hermione darling!" Within minutes, the happily bonded trio were sharing a three-way cuddle.

"So, Wednesday," Harry said, "if we are to be married, we need to get to know each other first. How old are you and Pugsley? Who are your parents? You are Americans, yes?! What is your school like?

"I mean, all seven of us others are Hogwarts students, even if I didn't really know Millie, Daffy, Pans and Trace until just before we bonded. We do need to get to know each other.

"Ginny darling, you need to kiss Parv, Millie, Daffy, Pans and Trace to complete your bonds with them."

"_Well…_" Ginny was cut off by Parvati pulling her in for a long kiss. Once their lips had finally parted, Ginny found herself snogging Pansy. _This girl can really kiss!_

_Why, thank you, Ginny._

_That's OK, Pansy. Merlin! We can snog and chat at the same time. Cool!_

_With that attitude, being married to you should be fun!_

_Thank you, Pansy. I think that we are going to really bond as a family._

Once the two had finally come up for air, Ginny quickly discovered that she enjoyed kissing Millie, Daphne and Tracey as much as she did Harry, Pansy and Parvati.

"Well, _mes cher amis_, I was born on 12 February 1980. Our parents are the lawyer and entrepreneur Gomez Addams and the socialite and former model Morticia Addams nee Frump. We live with them, our Grandmama and Uncle Fester in our house at 0001 Cemetery Lane. We are Goths and proud of it.

"Pugsley and I attend Ilvermorny. He is in Wampus House and I in Thunderbird. It isn't an exact match, but I believe Wampus is the equivalent of Gryffindor and Thunderbird Slytherin."

"We lions are getting outnumbered in Clan Potter," Parvati noted. "Still, Harry and Ginny are pretty sneaky lions and Millie and Daffy are bold serpents, so we should balance each other out nicely."

"My favourite toy is Marie Antoinette, my headless doll. Mom's is hers, Anne Boleyn.

"I love all the usual feminine pets, such as reptiles and spiders, especially my black widow Homer and my pet lizard Lucifer.

"My favourite colour is black. I am proud of my pallid skin tone and raven hair, befitting the daughter of Morticia Addams nee Frump."

"OK," Harry replied, uncertainly.

"Now, you know me, _mon amours…_" With that, she pulled Harry, Ginny, Pansy, Millie, Parvati, Tracey and Daphne in turn into prolonged passionate kisses.

"_I'm sold!_" a stunned Ginny mumbled.

"Sis here is a force of nature," Pugsley explained. "Whatever Wednesday wants, Wednesday gets!"

"Exactly, _mes amis_."

"_Oi! What about us?!_"

"Well," Aphrodite said, "Fred, you are standing next to Alicia and Katie. They are your soulmates…"

"But I went to the Yule Ball with Angelina…"

"Who is George's soulmate."

"_Are we not good enough for you, Fred?_" Katie asked crossly.

"Apparently we are not, Katie."

"_Err… There's no right answer to that, is there?!_

"Well, I'll try saying that I am sorry and also that I am glad to be bonding with you."

"That was probably the best answer that you could give, Fred. Well done."

"Thank you, Katie."

"We need to seal our bonds, Fred. You have two hot chasers to kiss."

"And we get to see said two hot chasers…"

"_George! I am the only hot chaser that you should be interested in!_"

"_Sorry, Angelina darling…_"

"_That's better!_ We have finally tamed the Weasley twins, girls!"

"I don't think we want them _entirely tame_, Angie."

"Alicia's right, Angie. We want them still the fun-loving pranksters that we know and love."

"The four youngest Weasleys are off the market," Ron mused, as his brothers kissed their chasers into their bonds.

"What about Pugsley, Daffy's sister and…? I don't know you, sorry."

"That's Luna Lovegood, Harry. She's a Ravenclaw in my year. As she lives only a short walk from the Burrow, she's a good friend of mine, although she doesn't get on with her fellow Ravenclaws."

"I like her, but I know that others bully her quite horribly."

"Thank you, Padma. Some of the other Ravenclaws let the Nargles steal my stuff, Harry Potter."

"No, Luna. They steal your possessions themselves. Unfortunately, Marietta Edgecombe is the best friend of Cho Chang and thus she and her gang of bullies get away with anything shy of murder.

"Cho is a sweet girl, Harry, but she blindly thinks the best of her friends. Hopefully, Cedric Diggory can bring out her essential kindness and, well, _decency_."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Luna. Any friend of Ginny and Padma is a friend of mine.

"That said, _what are Nargles?_"

"Luna can explain later, Harry. In the meantime, can you all share a group hug?" They did as Hecate requested. "Now, Aslan!" As she spoke, the lion _roared._ The group were all bathed in light. "Now, you are not only soul bound to your loves, but to each other as one extended family. We shall discuss that more later.

"In the meantime, you have had a long night. Pugsley, Luna and Astoria, your mates are coming here in due course. For the moment, it is bedtime."

"Each bonded family has its own labelled wizard tent," Hestia said. "You shall be sharing bedrooms and bathrooms, although there are screens for changing behind if you aren't comfortable with the others seeing you in the nude. Pugsley, you have your own wizard tent. Luna and Astoria, you are to share another tent.

"See you all in the morning. Clothes, including underwear, nightwear and swimwear, are in labelled wardrobes in your bedroom. The kitchens in your respective tents have full larders. The spells that protect this area of the Bermuda Triangle allow those of you below seventeen to use magic without triggering the Trace, nor can anyone outside the wards know where in the world that you are.

"We won't be starting your training until the New Year. Spend the next ten days or so swimming and sunbathing. Lounging around in swimwear should be a good way of spending time with each other."

"Your training will include physical exercises and armed and unarmed combat," the tall brunette who the goddesses had called Princess Diana said. "Swimming is a good way to get into shape.

"Remember, it is harder to hit a constantly moving target. Stamina is key to outlasting an enemy. To prolong a fight is to increase your chances if you are the fittest."

"Thank you, goddesses, Princess and everyone else," Harry said. "See you in the morning, everyone who isn't my soulmate."

That night, Harry slept in a comfortable bed. In beds nearby, his seven True Loves also slumbered. As they slept, further plans were developing that would see the Second War against Voldemort last much less than it did in standard realities…

Author's Note: For this AU to my main Storyverse, I swapped Wednesday's Date of Birth from Lisa Loring's to Christina Ricci's, making her nearly six months older than Harry, rather than over twenty-two years. Both actresses were inspired casting as the original Goth Girl.


	2. Chapter 2: Island in the Sun

Chapter Two: Island in the Sun

Harry, having awoken, showered and dressed before his soulmates, was busily trying to work out how to operate a wizard kitchen. As he was about to give up, Millie walked in, still in her nighty and barely half-awake.

"Good morning, Millie."

"Morning, Harry. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thanks. Did you?"

"Very well, thank you. I had the most pleasant dreams. They mainly concerned just what I get to do with you when you turn sixteen in just over nineteen months…

"_Merlin!_ You are _so cute_ when you are blushing, Harry!"

Harry pulled Millie into his arms and they shared a tender kiss. "Millie, do you know how to start a magical oven? I was planning on cooking us all a Full English Breakfast."

"Well, one of our House Elves did most of the cooking. That said, my mother was training me in how to be a respectable Pureblood wife to my probably Death Eater husband, whichever lowlife scum gave them the best offer.

"_Wait! A husband who likes to cook?! How did I get so lucky?!_"

"Well, my relatives had me cooking as soon as I was old enough. I had to do it perfectly too, or else…"

"_Harry?!_ Who were these relatives that raised you? _Did they…?_"

"Abuse me? Not usually physically and certainly not _that way_, but I answered to _Freak_ and _Boy_.

"My mother had a muggle sister, my Aunt Petunia. She and her husband, my Uncle Vernon, raised me alongside my Cousin Dudley. They are horrible people.

"_Merlin!_ You won't blame all muggles…?"

"No, Harry. I am a half-blood, but the wizard side of my family is far worse than the muggle. Don't worry on that account.

"Sue Bones' Aunt Amelia is Head of Magical Law Enforcement, Harry. You need to talk to her. They can't get away with treating you like that! I only wish that the Bulstrode name didn't keep my father from facing justice.

"You have seven witches who love you now, sweetheart. _We are your family!_ Daffy, Trace, Ginny or Parv's parents could easily claim guardianship over you now.

"Trust me, Harry. _None of us shall ever be alone ever again!_"

_Well said, Millie!_

_Thanks, Parv._

_Parv, you and Pans addressed each other by your Christian names prior to our bonding. I can't imagine that her parents were allied to yours or mine._

_No, Harry. My father is a Death Eater, who got off by claiming that he was under the Imperius Curse, as Lucius Malfoy did. He was never a Potter ally! The two of us often had to attend the same Wizard Society Events. We were close enough to address each other informally. Her Indian ancestry was not an issue as far my parents were concerned, particularly as she and Pads are Purebloods._

_Thanks, Pans._

"Now, I believe you wanted to cook breakfast, Harry. Let us do it together."

"Thank you, Millie darling.

"Before we do, though, don't you want to get washed and dressed? As sexy as you look in that nighty, it isn't really suitable for cooking in."

"A swimming costume is even less suited for it, dearest. There is a green bikini with an underwired top in my wardrobe which I want to try out. Hopefully, you will like seeing me in it…"

"_Millie, I love you._ As far as I am concerned, you are an _absolute stunner,_ regardless of your attire."

"_Again, how did I get so lucky?!_"

"How long was it before you stopped snogging long enough to start cooking?" Daphne teased, a full plate in front of her. "That said, a cooked breakfast this delicious would have been worth a far longer wait!"

Harry and Millie grinned back at her. They were proud of the scrambled eggs, bacon rashers, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, Lincolnshire sausages, mushrooms, hash browns and slices of toast that they had prepared. Neither of them could deny that Daphne had a point, but both were too euphoric to care.

"You'll get your turn later, Daffy," Millie replied sweetly. "This is effectively a honeymoon after all."

"I'm looking forward to it."

"Any chance the pair of you could cook us all breakfast every morning, _mes amours?!_ This is delicious!"

"Of course, Wednesday. We would love to. I get to cook and snog Harry at the same time."

"True. I love cooking, but kissing Millie is even better.

"That's a point. Millie and Pans are both Potters now. What about…?"

"I guess that I shall be a Potter too. It is unlikely that none of my six elder brothers would have one or more sons."

"Daffy and I don't have brothers. I guess that I shall be Davis-Potter and she will be Greengrass-Potter. At least one son from each of us can then take our maiden names."

"Pads and I don't have brothers, either. We will be Patil-Weasley and Patil-Potter respectively. Again, hopefully at least one of us shall have a son to take our maiden name."

"It is less important in the States, _mon amour_, but I can be Addams-Potter. If Pugsley has one or more sons, ours can be Potters."

"What about any daughters?"

"They shall almost certainly be Potters, Harry," Daphne told him. "Daughters can't continue a family name as easily as sons can. That doesn't mean that daughters are unwelcome. Dad loves Tori and me just as much as he would a son. Trace's Dad is the same, as is Parv's. Messrs Parkinson and Bulstrode, however, are nasty pieces of work and no doubt would have preferred boys…"

"My father told me that all the time when cursing and/or caning me," Millie muttered.

"Same with mine. I must have spent most of last summer either under the _Cruciatus _or bent over his desk with my skirt up and my knickers down, having my arse hammered with his cane."

"_Poor you! _My father always caned me across the knickers. That hurt more than enough.

"Harry and our other wives are our family now, Pans. _Those monsters we called our fathers will never hurt us again!_"

As a tight eight-person group hug spontaneously started, Pansy smiled to herself. _I have a family that Truly Loves me. I am going to be OK._

_We all are, Pans._

_Thank you, Harry darling. Are you looking forward to seeing us in skimpy swimwear later?_

_Let me think. Do I want to spend time looking at my seven attractive wives in swimsuits?! Yes!_

_Oh, we have struck gold here! Which of us gets to snog him first?!_

_He's all yours, Pans!_

_Thanks Ginny. Your turn next!_

_My family call me Gin, Pans._

_Before I snog Harry, I have my feisty bubbly redhead to kiss. Pucker up, Gin!_

_Of course, Pans!_

"This breakfast was lovely, Pads. You must teach Ron and I how to operate a wizard kitchen."

"It was only toast, rolls and preserves, Hermione."

"Even so, I don't remember being taught how to operate a magical toaster at Hogwarts. That might be more useful than turning a pincushion into a mouse and back."

"Pads, did you just hear Hermione complaining about the Hogwarts curriculum?!"

"Yes, Ron, I did. You weren't dreaming!"

"It is a good job that I am in love with the pair of you," Hermione sighed. She pulled first Ron and then Padma into prolonged passionate kisses, before smiling as her spouses shared their own kiss. "Mum and Dad will adore you both.

"We are Anglicans, Pads. That won't be a problem…?"

"We are Wizard Hindi, Hermione. Parv and I marrying non-Hindi won't be a problem. Neither will our bisexuality for that matter.

"Are you going to be wearing a one-piece swimsuit or a bikini, Hermione? I'm putting on the latter."

"Normally, I would wear a one-piece in public, Pads. As we are all family here, however, I shall also be wearing a bikini. Conservative or skimpy?"

"Conservative for now, I think. We can always opt for skimpier ones in a few days when we are more comfortable with everyone. It is one thing to wear skimpy bikinis with Parv and other girls by the pond at home, but quite another with boys there. Ron's an exception of course!"

"Of course! Since Ron is effectively _our husband_, we can give him the odd flash of flesh! Given that we are sharing a bedroom and bathroom, I am sure that we shall give each other free shows every so often.

"Ron, darling, if you do see my bare bum or bust, you don't need to look away. By the same token, I won't look away if your naked body is before me."

"It's the same with me, Ron," Padma said. "Don't worry about my modesty or yours. I am yours and Hermione's for all eternity."

"_Two hot girls who want me to see them naked?! How did I get so lucky?!_

"There is a wizard gramophone in the lounge. Would you like a private Post-Yule Ball tonight? This time, Pads, I will pay you all the attention that you deserve.

"Hermione, how was your date with Viktor Krum? I'm sorry to break you up…"

"Viktor and I are _friends_, Ron. I don't know whether he _would have liked us to be more or not_. It was a lovely evening, but he was too old for me really.

"If you had seen me as a girl before he did, Ron, I would have gone with you. For all future balls, we shall go as a trio."

"Yes, my loves," Ron said pulling both Hermione and Padma into a three-way hug, "_we shall!_"

"Any further ideas, Mary Poppins? Should we make a few more changes to standard universes?"

"What about Luna meeting…?"

"Rolf? I thought that was planned for later?"

"It is, Doctor. Not her True Love. Luna needs the support of those who will _Always Be True…_"

"_…To Each Other Whatever Happens!_ She needs her Honorary Big Brother and his friends.

"Any chance that we could do a bit more matchmaking at the same time?!"

"I like the way you think, Doctor. As it so happens, a Christmas Mystery has just been solved.

"The Abominable Snow Leopard is about to be unmasked…"

Jackson Hole, Boxing Day 1994

"_And now to see who this really is…_" the short bespectacled brunette announced, pulling off the mask of the snow leopard costume. "_Mr Jenkins the recently sacked Janitor?!_"

"One of these days," the tall slim dark-haired British man with the exercise book and pen said, "you will just interview the former employee with a grudge at the very start!"

"Very droll, Rex," noted the tall slender American brunette with soft brown eyes. "If Mystery Inc. ever deviates from their usual routine, I am sure that Fred would die from shock!"

"On the subject of _following our usual routine_, it is time to start explaining how we solved the case, Velma," the tall redheaded American noted.

"Thank you, Daphne. Well, the white hair traces in the doorways that Fred found were from a poodle. Mr Jenkins' wife owns a pet shop. Presumably he used them to make the costume look more realistic.

"Then Mr Jenkins wears a particularly potent cologne. The Abominable Snow Leopard always smelled like it too. We thus knew who it was."

"Finally," interrupted the fair-haired American jock, "snow we found piled around the floor contained traces of boot prints. The soles of Mr Jenkins' boots aren't covered by the costume.

"He wanted to scare people away from the resort in revenge for his sacking."

"And I would have got away with it too," Jenkins growled, "if it wasn't for those pesky kids and their dog! Well, I'm not sorry…"

"_You will be!_" the police chief retorted. "I believe a few years in the pen is in store. Cuff him and read him his rights, Officer."

"Well, our skiing holiday over Christmas has been fun so far," said the short stocky ginger-haired British man. "Still, I should have known that a nutcase in fancy dress would get involved when vacationing with Mystery Inc!"

"That bizarre happenstance does seem to reoccur with high statistical significance in that eventuality," the solidly-built American agreed.

"That stated, we Three Investigators also have encountered similar statistical improbabilities when by ourselves. It may be a phenomenon associated with Former Young Adventurers in general, Jigger, and not just Mystery Inc. in particular."

"_Gleeps, Jupe!_ Bob and I would appreciate it if you spoke in English sometimes. _Please_ can you stop insisting on speaking _Jupiter Jones!_"

"He is Jupiter Jones, Pete!" commented the wiry bespectacled American man. "We will never change him!"

Velma Dinkley looked around the group. Fred had invited not only Mystery Inc. but the Dana girls, the Three Investigators and the Paranormal Investigations Bureau. This was founded by Jon Warrender of the Lone Piners, George Kirrin of the Famous Five and Jigger Johnson and Rex Milligan, both Old Boys of Sheldrake Grammar School. Jon's wife and fellow Lone Piner Penny was also present. Louise Dana is the tall slender brown-eyed brunette; her younger sister Jean is an only slightly shorter blonde; George (you still don't call her Georgina without considerable risk!) is tall, dressed in shirt and trousers and with her brunette hair in a short boyish cut; Jon is lanky and bespectacled with untidy fair hair and Penny is a redhead with sparkling grey eyes and a beaming smile. Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw (who was tall and athletic) and Bob Andrews (the wiry bespectacled one) formed the Three Investigators. Velma (the bespectacled brunette), Daphne Blake (the redhead), Fred Jones (the jock, who is Jupiter's second cousin), Shaggy Rogers (a man with shaggy brown hair and a wispy goatee) and Scooby-Doo (a genetically-modified Great Dane) were Mystery Inc.

The British and American Former Young Adventurer Communities had been granted access to the Royal Jelly Honey _elixir vitae_ that Mr Sherlock Holmes had developed by their respective governments. As a result, whilst they were clearly all no longer teenagers, they looked in their twenties and not forties, fifties or even late sixties in the case of Louise and Jean.

"Well, now the case is over," Shaggy Rogers commented, "can we like finally get to eat?!"

"Right, Raggy! _Scooby-Dooby-Dooooooo…!_"

At that point, six women in Classical Hellenic dress appeared out of nowhere. "My friends," said a tall dark brunette with an owl on a falconer's glove, "I am Athena, and these are Hera, Aphrodite, Artemis, Hecate and Hestia. We are the semi-ascended beings that have been worshipped as goddesses from ancient times.

"We have come to take you to an island where there are some teenagers who need your support and guidance. Others of your comrades will be joining you shortly. Yes, Mr Johnson, you can go back each day to see your menagerie. We can even bring them over for your wedding."

"_What wedding?!_" Jigger asked bemused. "_Fossilised fishhooks! I don't even have a girlfriend…_"

"You have a soulmate, though. _Are you not in love with Ms Dinkley?!_"

"_Velma?! Well…_" Jigger suddenly grinned. "_Yes. Yes, I am!_

"Velma, darling, I think I always knew deep down that I love you, but I never appreciated it until…" He was cut off by Velma throwing her arms around him and crashing her lips against his. "_Jinkies!_" she exclaimed after their kiss had finally ended. "I have loved you ever since we first met, even though I didn't realise until just now either.

"Now, I m sure that you are going to get threatened by Fred and Daphne for what happens if you hurt me. Equally, I am sure that Rex, George, Jon and Penny are about to enquire as to my intentions. I guess it is time to face the music…"

"Not quite yet, Velma. Before that, will you be my girlfriend?"

"Do you think that I would have kissed anyone who wasn't my boyfriend like that, Jig?"

"_Finally!_" Penny shouted delightedly. "Now, Jon darling, if Rex and George can finally see…"

"I adore Rex, but as a brother and not a boyfriend."

"It is the same here. I love George dearly, but…"

"_No, you prize specimens of addle-pated clodpolls!_" Jigger sighed. "Rex, if I asked you to describe your ideal woman, what would you say?"

"She would be smart, brave, loyal and kind. Someone like Louise, I guess."

"_Then why not Louise?_"

"Oh, just _kiss her, Rex!_" Jean ordered. "My sister will kiss you back. She loves you, even if she doesn't know it."

"_Now, Jean…!_" From the way her lips responded to Rex's kiss, however, it was clear that Louise was indeed in love with him.

"George dear," Jon suggested, "you might want to kiss Jupiter."

"OK, Jon. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!" Once again, the kiss established that the participants were indeed in love with each other. "_Everything gained!_" George sighed happily once she had finally surfaced for air.

"Now that is all sorted," Athena continued, "we can take you to your new centre of operations. You can all return to your homes as often as you wish. We shall set up a magical portal network.

"Now, if you will hold hands in a circle with us, we can take you to the island now." With that, they vanished into the ether.

"This is the life!" Susan Bones sighed happily. "I get to lounge on a beach with my boyfriend and both my girlfriends. Swimming, sunbathing and snogging is a great way to spend Boxing Day.

"Can you rub some more of that anti-sunburn potion into my back please, Nev? If you need to untie my bikini top, please feel free to do so."

"Are you sure, Sue?"

"We are _married_, Nev!" Hannah noted. "If you catch sight of our bared breasts, well, that comes with the territory. We are face down, so you shouldn't see much anyway. Again, if you do, so what?"

"We will all be old enough to make love in nineteen months or so," Lavender chimed in. "You shall be seeing us in all our glory often enough then, Nev! If you get a sneak peek or several at our _attributes_ in advance, Nev, we won't mind, unless you refuse to return the favour.

"In fact, once you have finished with Sue, Nev darling, both Han and I will want our backs rubbing too. Again, please feel free to untie our tops."

Before Neville could start, the goddesses had appeared with the Former Young Adventurers in tow. With a shout of _'View halloa!'_ from Artemis, all the young witches and wizards came running up to see what was going on.

"My friends," Hera announced, "these are Louise and Jean Dana; Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, Shaggy Rogers and Scooby-Doo; Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw and Bob Jones; and Jon and Penny Warrender, George Kirrin, Jigger Johnson and Rex Milligan. These are all British and American former young adventurers, who began their careers between the mid-1930s and late-1960s…"

"They must be mages, mutants or metahumans," Wednesday observed, "because they all look to be in their mid-twenties, not at least their forties."

"These are all no-majs and muggles, Wednesday. Sherlock Holmes developed an _elixir of youth_ from the exposure of bees to a certain rare plant and fragments from an irradiated meteorite that landed in Yorkshire in the 1790s. This Royal Jelly Honey has been granted to various agents of the British, American, Canadian and other Western Governments for services rendered. They found Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, the Swifts and their ilk very useful for intelligence and counter-intelligence work.

"My other friends, these are Harry, Millicent and Pansy Potter; Fred, George, Ron and Ginny Weasley; Padma and Parvati Patil; Daphne and Astoria Greengrass; Pugsley and Wednesday Addams; Hermione Granger; Tracey Davis; Neville Longbottom; Hannah Abbott; Susan Bones; Lavender Brown; Angelina Johnson; Alicia Spinnet; Katie Bell; and Luna Lovegood. All are witches and wizards. These are humans gifted with genes giving them the ability to perform certain types of magic."

"We've seen weirder stuff," Rex noted. "A number of us are friends of Jason Blood."

"Jason is to be one of their trainers. We are near to Themyscira, the Paradise Island of the Amazons. I believe you know their princess and champion, Wonder Woman?

"In any case, Luna, Ms Blake, Mr Andrews and Mr Milligan are journalists. Your father is the editor and proprietor of a wizard newspaper, so you may wish to speak to them.

"That tent over there has a full-length mirror that can open portals to and from ones in your homes. Hecate shall key you in. We transferred the Mystery Machine and the cars of the elder Ms Dana and Mr Crenshaw back to the respective garages magically.

"See you all in the morning. Good afternoon to you all."

"That was a relaxing day," Millie sighed in the hammock she was sharing with Harry.

"Well, we are here for a rest before our training begins." He kissed her softly. "By the way, you do _look good_ in that green bikini. I love you, Millie Potter!"

Millie's initial response was both emphatic and entirely non-verbal. "I love you too, Harry Potter!" she exclaimed once their lips had parted. "You _look good_ in those green trunks as well!"

From their meeting place outside of time, the Six Goddesses stood among the Doctor, Mary Poppins, Aslan and the rest. "Millicent Potter is going to be as Wonder Witch and the general of the Furies than she is in other realities," Hecate exulted.

"The self-styled Lord Voldemort won't know what hit him!"


	3. Chapter 3: Family Matters

It was the following morning. Hermione was on a beach with her soulmates. "Another day in paradise, my loves. Sun, sea, sand and snogging!"

"I'm always up for the snogging, darling!" Ron laughed, before snogging her senseless.

"How about a nice dip in the sea?" Padma asked, leaning in to steal a quick kiss from each of her True Loves. "After that, back to our tent for showers and breakfast."

"Ok, Pads.

"How about having a date later? We could see about using that portal network to visit our parents, before going on a romantic picnic somewhere."

"That sounds wonderful, Hermione."

Luna saw Rex Milligan come through the portal from the area of London where he lived, near to his old school, Sheldrake Grammar School. "Mr Milligan, I was wondering how you became a journalist..."

"_You are Miss Lovegood, yes?_"

"Call me Luna, Mr Milligan."

"Only if you call me Rex, Luna!

"Well, Luna, I began jotting down all the chaos that occurred around me, Jigger and our friends and teachers at our old school back in the 1950s. Why don't you write down what happens on this island?"

"Thank you for the advice, Rex."

"No problem, Luna. I could read your writing for you to cast an experienced eye over them.

"You attended a wizard school, I understand. _Crystallised Cheesecakes!_ That must have been _stark raving bonkers!_"

"Sorry, Rex. I have no idea what you are talking about.

"If you want to be understood, you need to talk about _Nargles _and _Wrackspurts..._"

"OK. What are they?"

"_Hmm. _I'm sure that we can take you all to see your parents, Hermione," Athena said, "and even bring them over to stay with you. This is a place of learning and refuge, not a prison.

"Hogwarts can't provide you with the education that we can. It also gives you an opportunity to settle into your new family groups."

"Thank you, my lady. It will be good to introduce Mum and Dad to Ron and Pads. After all, they will be their in-laws one day."

"Technically, we already are their son-and-daughter-in-law, Hermione. I hope they love us. We don't want to get off on the wrong foot with them. The Weasleys love you already and I am sure that my parents will too."

"Mum and Dad will love you as well, Pads."

"Thank you, Ron. Let's now go and meet Mr and Mrs Granger."

Hermione kissed her True Loves, before Athena whisked them away.

At the loud bang from downstairs, John and Jean Granger came running down. The two dentists were not expecting visitors, let alone mysterious noises!

"Hi Mum and Dad!" Hermione happily exclaimed, as she ran up to embrace them.

"Hi darling," Jean replied. "Aren't you supposed to be at Hogwarts? I don't recognise a couple of your companions. Isn't it rather cold for shorts and t-shirts?"

"She needs to be with us, Mrs Granger. I am the semi-ascended being, worshipped as the goddess Athena. A group of us Cosmic Level Entities have taken Hermione and some of her friends to an island in the Bermuda Triangle for some special training.

"These are Ronald Weasley and Padma Patil. They are also on the scheme..."

"We know Ron," John nodded. "It is good to see you again, Ron. As for... _Padma, was it?_ It is good to meet you.

"Aren't you Hermione's dorm mate at Hogwarts? She speaks highly of you..."

"That's my twin sister Parvati, Mr Granger. I'm in Ravenclaw. Parv speaks highly of Hermione too!

"I am pleased to meet you both. Your daughter is one of the most special people I know."

"You are her girlfriend, right?" Jean smiled at her daughter's shocked expression. "Padma took your hand in hers when declaring how special you are, dear. It is generally a sign of affection.

"We are pretty broad-church Anglicans, Padma. We won't love Hermione any less for being a lesbian. Welcome to the family, dear."

"Pads and I are bisexual, Mum. That's why Ron is here."

"_Err... _Hi, Mr and Mrs Granger. I am your daughter's other soulmate."

"Are you going to treat our daughter honourably, Ron?" John asked sternly. "The same goes for you, Padma. Treat her well, and welcome to the family. Treat her badly..."

"They are my _Soulmates_, Dad. We are a _True Love Match_. The three of us are together until death us do part!"

"Both Pads and I love your daughter very much, Sir. We would very much like to marry her one day."

"Ron's right! In many ways, Sir, magic regards us as already married. Not that we are _ready for that yet..._"

"Mum, Dad, I love them both, they both love me, and they love each other too. That is all that matters to us.

"Polygamy is legal in rare circumstances in the wizard world. Having multiple soulmates is one. It is seen as a great blessing in magical society."

"Your daughter is right, Mr and Mrs Granger. A love such as the one the three of them share can't be broken by any Power save that of the One Who Is Three Himself. They are essentially a single soul for all eternity. None can ever forsake the other two.

"Hermione is a young lady after my own heart. With her soulmates and friends, she shall help change the world."

"Is this what you truly desire, sweetheart?" Jean asked.

"More than anything else in the world, Mum. I love Ron and Pads with all my heart.

"Now, I want to meet Pads' parents, before dropping in on the Weasleys. According to Lady Athena, you can come and visit us on the island at some point. Please come and meet our friends."

"It is possible to set up a magical portal to and from the island that can be used by non-magical people, Mr and Mrs Granger. I can install one now."

"Thank you, my lady," Jean said. "Please call us John and Jean. Since you are effectively our in-laws, Ron, Padma, feel free to call us either that or Mum and Dad."

Hermione pulled her parents into a three-way embrace. She then asked Ron and Padma to join the family hug.

Once Athena had installed the portal and shown John and Jean how to use it, Hermione kissed them goodbye and Athena took them to Padma and Parvati's parents. Bharat and Preeti Patil did indeed love Ron and Hermione and were glad that both their daughters had multiple soulmates. After Arthur and Molly Weasley had happily welcomed Hermione and Padma into the family, the three lovebirds were taken back to the island to enjoy a romantic picnic on a stretch of beach.

"Well, we've got our families coming for tea tomorrow," Hermione noted, adjusting her bikini top, the trio having changed into swimwear prior to their picnic. "I shall do my best to learn how to help with the cooking tonight, Pads.

"What are you planning on serving tomorrow?"

"I was thinking of asking Parv to assist me in making a curry. Parv is a better cook than I am. Would your parents prefer a mild, medium or hot curry, Hermione? What about yours, Ron?"

"Mine would prefer medium, Pads."

"I don't think we've had it. Mum's really a meat and two veg kind of woman."

"I'll ask Parv to prepare a chicken korma and a chicken tikka masala, both with basmati rice, mango chutney, onion bhajis, vegetable samosas, poppadoms and garlic naan. A korma should be perfect for first-timers, Ron. It has a creamy texture and a coconut flavour.

", I'm thinking of asking Lady Athena to invite Neville's grandmother and Luna's father, as well as the Bones, Abbott, Brown, Greengrass, Davis, Johnson, Spinnet, Bell and Addams families. We can all see our families. I doubt that Harry, Millie and Pansy want their relatives over, though."

"From what I have seen and heard about Harry's relatives, I agree," Ron nodded. "If the Bulstrodes and Parkinsons are disowning Millie and Pansy, then they won't want to be here anyway.

"We are all here to become a big family comprising a few smaller ones. That is something we Weasleys understand..." He was cut off by Hermione covering his lips with hers.

"So, Padma, I have a question to ask. What are your mating habits?"

"_I'm sorry, Luna?!_"

Luna had strolled onto the area of beach where the trio were having their picnic. "Rex Milligan said that the best way to learn reporting was to record what was happening on this island. Hermione and Ron are mating. Therefore, I need to understand..."

"They are _snogging, Luna, not mating!_ We are too young for that. Besides, you can't go around asking people about their love lives..."

"Why not, Padma? It is all that is going on here, after all."

"_It is considered rude, Luna._"

"It is? _How strange..._

"Any rate, I must see if Astoria needs any assistance making the lunch. See you later. Goodbye."

Once she had disappeared, the three lovebirds looked at each other. "No wonder everyone calls her _Looney_," Ron muttered.

"_Rude, but understandable, Ron,_" Hermione agreed. "Shall we return to our tent? Luna won't disturb us there."

"I don't understand it, Astoria. Why is it rude to ask people about their love lives?"

"Possibly because they consider it a private matter, Luna.

"Perhaps when we start the actual training, you will have something to write about. Wait a couple of weeks and see what happens.

"Oh, and please call me Tori. All my friends do."

"Does that mean I'm your friend too?"

"Yes, Luna, it does." Astoria pulled Luna into a tight hug.

"Other than Ginny, I don't think I've had any real friends. I've always wanted more of them. Tori, I think that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship..."

"_Tori?! Are you and Luna decent?_"

"_Daffy?! _ What's happening? Is everyone OK?"

"Everyone's fine, Tori. Our folks are coming for dinner tomorrow along with all our families, including the Grangers."

"_Cool!_ _Hang on! The Grangers?!_"

"These portals work for muggles, remember? Parv and Pads are preparing a chicken curry. Harry and Millie are helping with the cooking, as is Hermione. I've never had curry before, but Parv, Millie and Harry are cooking one tonight.

"I guess Mum and Dad have never had to order a takeaway, Indian or otherwise."

"Dad hasn't either. We haven't been to the Indian Subcontinent yet in our searches for the Crumple-Horned Snorkack."

"OK..."

"Shall we give it a rest, Angie? We've been _at it for hours..._"

"Have I _worn you out, Georgie darling?!_"

"We have been making love for some hours, dearest. I could do with a break for food and drink.

"In short, yes, you have _shagged me into submission!_"

"Thank you, George. I love you."

"I love you too, Angie." George leaned over from his side of the bed and kissed his soulmate with as much passion as he could. "Do you want me to prepare a new batch of that contraceptive potion for you?"

"Of course, George. I'll be wanting an encore later." Angelina smiled at her bonded mate. "As much as I love the sex, I don't want a baby in nine months time."

"Nor I, Angie. In a couple of years, maybe, but not _that soon. _You'll be a great Mum one day though."

"Thank you, George. You'll be a great Dad as well.

"Now hurry up with that contraceptive potion..."

Harry had never previously had a reason to make a curry. Uncle Vernon had never been partial to any "foreign muck", as he put it. That said, Parvati was a good teacher. The practice run for the following night was going well, with him, Millie and Parvati proving a good team of cooks.

"You are both really good cooks," Parvati noted. "We should be able to cook our visitors a sumptuous spread tomorrow. I am proud of you both.

"Now I believe that the pair of you have a mutual reward system in place..." She kissed first Harry and then Millie. "_Nice! I like this reward scheme!_"

"We like it as well, Parv," Harry laughed. "Kissing any of you is most inspiring. I love all my ladies very much..."

"We love you too, darling." Millie kissed him.

"How about a romantic evening before the hearth in our tent's sitting room to end the day?"

"That sounds perfect, Millie darling. We can all dance together in front of the fire to an old wizard gramophone record."

"That sounds _wonderful_, Harry love..."

Ginny was sunbathing with Pansy prior to dinner. She smiled as she saw Luna and Astoria walk by. "Hello Luna and Astoria. Are you both having a good day?"

"Yes, thank you Ginny."

"We are indeed. Please call me Tori."

"Does that mean that Ginny is your friend as well, Tori?"

"Yes, Luna. As I said, my friends call me that."

"Thank you, Tori. Please call me Gin, both of you. Do you have a nickname, Luna?"

"Yes, Gin. My friends call me Loony..."

"Those aren't your friends, Luna," Ginny said firmly, as she and Astoria pulled Luna into a three-way embrace. "_We are!_ In future, you let us know if anyone calls you that and we'll put a stop to it!

"Nobody makes fun of our friends. Isn't that right, Tori?!"

"That's right, Gin. You are under our protection now, Luna dear. _Best friends forever!_"

"Thank you, both of you," Luna said with tears in her eyes. "I've always wanted friends like you.

"Hopefully, I get to see Daddy tomorrow..."

"Why don't you write a report on the meal? If you run it by us first, we can edit anything inappropriate out."

"Thanks, Tori."

The curry in the Potter tent had gone down a treat. Now, Harry was dancing a tango with Wednesday.

"You are a great dancer, _mon amour_.

"I have been made most welcome by you and our fellow soulmates these last couple of days, Harry. _Merci boucoup!_"

"Thank you, Wednesday. You are a great dancer yourself.

"The goddesses seem to think that we are fated to love each other, all eight of us. You complete the rest of us in some way. I know that I love my sexy Goth..."

"I love you too, _mon amour!_" With that, the two ended their dance with a long deep kiss.

The next dance was a foxtrot and Harry found himself dancing with Daphne. "This is fun, Daffy. Are you enjoying your evening?"

"Very much so, Harry! That chicken korma was delicious, as was the rice and those side dishes. It was spicy without being too hot. Then I get to dance with six gorgeous girls and a handsome young man.

"Just about every girl in the wizard world wanted to marry the Boy-Who-Lived. I got as a soulmate a youth who saved one of my dearest friends from a fate worse than death. That said dearest friend is one of our mutual soulmates sweetens the deal.

"The boy who saved the school from a basilisk, who stopped You-Know-Who from getting his grubby little hands on the Philosophers Stone, cast a _Patronus_ to see off dozens of Dementors and outflew a bloody dragon is _my True Love, not the Boy-Who-Lived, Harry! _Now snog me senseless, _my darling!_"

Long after the gramophone record had ended, the couple were still kissing furiously.

Early the following morning, Harry and his True Loves were splashing about in the sea. Harry was in swimming trunks, Daphne and Wednesday in sporty one-piece swimsuits and the other five were in reasonably conservative bikinis. Millie had joined Harry in listening to the golden egg he had won in the first task. "I wonder what you would miss the most, Harry?" she mused after their heads were once more above the waves.

Harry pondered for a minute. "My broomstick, my dad's invisibility cloak, the Marauders' Map or my photo album of my parents could be options. _Unless..._

"_Merlin!_ _How about one of you seven?!_"

"Would they really risk losing one of us forever though, Harry? That said, a hostage makes good sense. Everyone must have a relative, beloved or even good friend that they would sorely_ miss!_

"Now, I think that was Mermish, Harry. There is a colony of merpeople under the lake at Hogwarts. Presumably, we need a way for you to swim underwater to it. How far can you swim?"

"Not very far, Millie. My relatives never taught me. I seriously think that my uncle would prefer it if I drowned."

"_Merlin! If I ever get my hands on that bastard...!_

"Pans and I are both decent swimmers, Harry. We used to go out on a local river in a sailing dinghy inspired by the exploits of two muggle families named Walker and Blackett. Their biographies had somehow made their way into the Parkinson library. If we can teach you, that would be a start. All we would then need is a way for you to breathe underwater..."

"_How about Gillyweed?_" a voice from the shore suggested. Neville, Susan, Hannah and Lavender were on the beach, all in swimwear and bathrobes. "It is a plant that we can order, Harry," Neville said in addition, "that can allow you to develop gills and webbed feet and hands for an hour or more if you eat a sufficient quantity."

"Thanks, Neville," Harry replied. "The goddesses brought Hedwig here along with our other pets and familiars. I don't know how long a flight from the Bermuda Triangle would take her, though."

"Dad owns a chain of apothecaries, Harry," Daphne informed him. "I can ask him for some tonight."

"Thanks, Daffy. At least this time I have a plan before the last minute!" Harry was clearly relieved.

"Do you have time to give me a quick initial lesson, Millie, Pans? I want to learn as quickly as possible."

"Let's get started then!" Pansy replied with a smile.

Harry felt as if he had died and gone to heaven. Millie and Pansy had decided to use the now standard _kisses as rewards _scheme. Given that Harry was in swimming trunks and both girls in bikinis, frequent snogging had proven most enjoyable. It had certainly given him plenty of extra encouragement for learning to swim.

Now, he, Millie and Parvati were with Padma and Hermione cooking the curries for the main meal. It was cooking, not to appease his cruel relatives, but for sheer pleasure. He also wanted to impress the families of his soulmates and other friends. Ron and Harry's other soulmates were also present, helping with the washing and drying of the used utensils and pans with their wands. The entire meal was ready in ample time for them to change into evening suits and cocktail dresses for the arrival of their families.

"What do you think, Pans?" Ginny asked, doing a twirl. The green cocktail dress was conservative enough to wear in front of her parents, but tight enough in the right places to show off the curvy figure that she was increasingly developing.

"Very nice, Gin."

"Thanks, Pans. You look good yourself. That tight mini dress shows off your figure perfectly. We are really going to impress Harry tonight, I hope..."

"You impress me all the time _just by being you, Gin!_" Harry said. He pulled her in close and kissed her softly on the lips. "I love my feisty little spitfire of a soulmate.

"How about a date tomorrow? We can go somewhere together, just the eight of us.

"I am sure that we will always be welcome at The Burrow..."

"Of course, Harry. Mum and Dad regarded you and Hermione as two of their own long before any of this happened. They welcomed Hermione and Padma into the family properly yesterday. I am sure that you, Pans and the others will be welcomed into the Weasley family properly tonight.

"I am looking forward to showing off my new soulmates to my parents and three eldest brothers."

"My parents are disowning me and were _utter brutes_ in the first place. Well, Millie and I hopefully get five new sets of parents from our other female soulmates."

"I'm sure my parents will _love you, Pans!_ Just be the _you_ we see on this island. We see the _you _that is charming, kind and sexy." Ginny pulled Pansy into a prolonged passionate kiss. _Great kisser too!_

_Thank you, Gin! Your sixteenth birthday present from Harry and me shall be a three-way! I adore our sexy firework!_

_I'm regretting the fact that I won't be sixteen for almost twenty-nine months. Well, until then, I intend to get plenty of snogging in!_


	4. Chapter 4: The Furies Are Formed

"_Mum! Dad!_" Astoria squealed happily as Giles and Sarah Greengrass came through the portal, with David and Rebecca Davis closely behind. She, Daphne and Tracey rushed to embrace the new arrivals.

"Welcome to…" Daphne paused.

"_Potter Island!_" Astoria announced.

"_Potter Island?!_" Harry objected. "I'm not sure…"

"All in favour of naming this island _'Potter Island'_, please raise your hand." At Hermione's request, all Harry's soulmates, plus Neville, Ron, Fred, George and their bonded all raised a hand. "_Motion carried, Harry!_"

"I give in! Potter Island it is!

"Thank you, Astoria."

"No problem, Harry. It's Tori!"

"Tori it is then!

"You must be Mr and Mrs Greengrass and Mr and Mrs Davis. I'm pleased to meet you all."

"You look extraordinarily like James," Giles noted. "If it wasn't for Lily's eyes, you would be the living spit of your father, Harry.

"Sarah and I were the only Slytherins James never pranked. He liked us. We both miss him and Lily."

"Thank you, Sir. Your daughters do your credit.

"I vow to love…"

"You don't need to promise any of us anything, Harry," Rebecca said softly. "A full soul bond ensures that your love is certain and sure.

"By the way, David and I were Ravenclaws, so James never pranked us either."

"None of this _'Sir'_ business either, Harry," Giles chimed in. "Use our given names or call us _Mum_ or _Dad_ as appropriate.

"It is a shame James and Lily's wills were never found. I'm sure that the four of us would have been listed as potential legal guardians. Who did raise you?"

"My Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia did, err, Dad." Harry was surprised to be pulled into a tight hug by Giles, Sarah, Daphne and Astoria. "Welcome to the family, Harry!" Astoria announced. "_I've got_ _the coolest big brother ever!_"

"Considering he's my soulmate, Tori, make that _brother-in-law!_" Daphne pulled Harry into a long kiss. "_I wouldn't do that with a brother!_"

"Neither would I, Daffy!" Tracey happily took her turn to snog Harry senseless.

By this time, five other figures had entered through the portal. Hannah Abbott's parents and Susan Bones' mother, father and Aunt Amelia were all quickly welcomed. Millie and Ginny took the Head of Magical Law Enforcement aside. From the look on Amelia's face, it was obvious what was being said. She came over to Harry.

"Harry, can you confirm that your _guardians_ treated you with at best criminal neglect?" Amelia asked. "According to Ginny here, her three youngest brothers had to pull bars off your bedroom window at one point with their Dad's flying car…"

"That was true, Ma'am, but…"

"_But nothing, Harry!_ I have never heard of anything like it in all my career in law enforcement!

"Giles, could you take over Harry's guardianship please? Millie and Pansy will be needing guardians too shortly. I can arrange for the paperwork to be prepared for you to take on all three of them if you are willing to do so."

"Of course, Amelia. I would be honoured to do so."

"Thank you, Giles."

A delighted Harry hugged both Giles and Amelia in turn. Millie and Pansy both followed his example.

"Madam Bones," Harry said nervously, "there is a favour I need to ask of you. Can you look into the imprisonment without trial of Sirius Black for me please?"

"_Sorry?!_"

"Sirius Black never had a trial. Peter Pettigrew betrayed my parents, killed all those muggles and faked his own death. I've seen Peter alive, as have Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and Remus Lupin. Sirius Black is innocent!

"Since Sirius is my godfather, Madam Bones, I would like him cleared if at all possible, please."

"Without Mr Pettigrew in custody, Harry, that might be tricky. We can't use Veritaserum, Pensieve memories, Legilimency or the Soulgaze in a criminal court, as they are too open to falsification or to misinterpretation.

"Still, I can look into the possibility of getting that _Kiss on Sight_ Order removed and a trial arranged if Mr Black can turn himself in lawfully."

"Thank you, Madam Bones. I shall be most grateful for this."

Nearby, a large black dog barked out what could almost have been a laugh.

Before long, Augusta Longbottom, Xenophilius Lovegood and Arthur, Molly and Bill Weasley had also arrived through the portal. The three eldest Weasleys had happily welcomed Harry, Parvati, Millie, Pansy, Daphne, Tracey and Wednesday to the family as readily as they had Hermione and Padma. As Harry already considered the Weasleys his real family (and had long before he and Ginny had been an item), he was heartily relieved by this.

After the Browns, Johnsons, Bells and Spinets had all arrived, Bharat and Preeti Patil came through. "Harry, Ginny and Wednesday, these are my parents," Parvati announced.

"We are honoured to meet you properly," Bharat announced.

"A multiple soul bond is a great blessing in our world. To have both our daughters in such bonds is much more than we could have ever dreamt off, particularly given that Potter, Davis and Greengrass are our allied houses. Your great-grandfather, Harry, sponsored with Daphne's a trade deal shortly after Parvati's arrived in this country. That trade deal allowed this new British branch of our family to quickly thrive in our new land."

"I never knew that," Harry admitted. "Growing up with my Mum's muggle sister and her family has left me largely ignorant of my family history. That is something that I intend to rectify.

"Sir, I am hopefully soon to be Giles Greengrass' ward. If so, hopefully he will teach me about that."

"You can't say fairer than that, Harry. Please call me Bharat or _Pitaji. _That means "Dad" in Hindi."

"You can call me _Genda,_" Preeti agreed. "As you can probably guess, that means "Mum".

"Now, Bharat, Parvati makes an excellent curry…"

John and Jean Granger came through next. Hermione introduced them to those they hadn't already met.

Learning about how little power the Granger parents felt they had when their daughter was petrified, Bharat Patil had arranged with Amelia Bones to take on _in loco parentis _responsibilities for Hermione in the wizard world. John had thanked him profusely, whilst Jean had hugged both adult Patils. Their daughter was delighted to see that the Weasleys and Patils had welcomed her parents fully into their families.

Finally, the Addams Family showed up. Even by wizard standards, they were strange, Harry felt. If the grandmother looked like the stereotypical image of the stooped hag with the warty face, the uncle or great-uncle (whichever it was) was a bald rotund gentleman in sackcloth that looked like a mad monk straight out of central casting. Gomez Addams was a moustachioed expensively-dressed man with a Cuban cigar almost constantly on the go. Morticia Addams nee Frump was a pallid-skinned raven-haired beauty. Other than wearing her hair long and not in pigtails or a ponytail, she could be an older version of Wednesday. Both mother and daughter tended to start speaking French whenever they were feeling Romantic. Gomez, it seemed, favoured Spanish in such situations. Finally, there was the massive flesh golem Lurch and the mobile severed hand Thing. Unusual didn't do them justice!

"Very well done, my dear boy and girls," Gomez said. "My beloved daughter seems as happy as I have ever seen her. She has found her family.

"You are all honorary Addams now, my dears. Welcome to the Addams Family."

"_Oui, papa, je suis amoureuse! Je vous en prie, soyez heureux pour nous…_"

"I'm sorry, Wednesday, but my French is practically non-existent!"

"She said that she is in love and is asking her father to be happy for us." Pansy chuckled at the looks on Harry and Ginny's faces. "The Parkinsons have a holiday near Nice, Harry, Gin. I have picked up more than enough of the lingo to get by without translation charms!

"I think that I have a future as Wednesday's interpreter!"

"True, Pans, _mon amour_. When I get passionate or flirtatious, _je parle en Français, _or tend to at least.

"In this company, I feel compelled to flirt, even more than usual…"

"My daughter, like me, is an incorrigible flirt," Morticia purred huskily. "I think that you shall all enjoy her seducing you in due course."

"I'm sure that we will," Harry said. "Your daughter is friendly, flirtatious and drop-dead gorgeous, all in her unique style. We all adore her already.

"You needn't worry about your daughter. She belongs with us forever now."

"_Mon bien-aimé! Je vais t'embrasser et je ne veux jamais m'arrêter!_" With that, Wednesday kissed Harry until their lips were chafed. "_I love you!_"

"_I love you too, my darling Weds!_"

"_Weds?!_ I like it!"

"Now that all your families are here," Hecate announced, "we can introduce you to Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons of neighbouring Themyscira." She pointed to a tall muscular woman, who looked as if she could be Morticia's older sister. "She, her eldest daughter Diana and the High Priestesses of the Temple of the Six Goddesses there have erected an altar with an Eternal Flame.

"Can all the chosen females gather in front of the altar in a semi-circle. We goddesses have a blessing to bestow."

"My friends," Hippolyta announced, "have you heard of how the Second World War was won when a number of extraordinary champions emerged? Captain America, the Howling Commandos, GI Robot, Easy Company, the Blackhawk Squadron, Union Jack, Spitfire and, by no means least, Wonder Woman turned the tide when all hope seemed lost. Well, my daughter Diana went out into the World of Men in both the 1940s and 1970s on a mission to bring peace to the world.

"Diana went by the assumed name of Diana Prince. To the world, however, she was known under another title." Diana spun rapidly to the right, generating a vortex that ended in a flash of light and a thunderclap. She was now no longer in a short white Hellenistic dress, but an instantly recognisable outfit. This consisted of a red, white and blue armoured one-piece swimsuit with a short skirt around the upper thighs, red knee-high boots, large golden bracelets, a golden tiara with a star in the centre and a golden belt from which a golden lasso and a sword in scabbard hung. There was a bronzed hoplon shield across her back.

"_Wonder Woman!_" John Granger and the adult Addamses exclaimed in unison, awestruck.

"Yes," Wonder Woman smiled broadly, "I am indeed her! Now to greet my new battle sisters!"

A bolt of lightning struck the Eternal Flame and bounced off to hit all the wizard girls present. As one they span rapidly to the right, ending in vortexes, flashes of light and thunderclaps. Now, their torsos and flanks were in black armour decorated with white astrological and alchemical symbols. They also wore black short skirts, black knee-length high-heeled boots, large golden bracelets, golden tiaras with Caduceus symbols in the centre and golden belts, from which Caduceus wand in holsters, golden lassos and large swords in scabbards hung. Bronzed hoplon shields were slung across their backs.

"Millicent Potter, step forward!" Hippolyta ordered. Millie boldly obeyed. "You are Wonder Witch, the empowered heroine sent to represent Amazons to the British wizard world. In that magic belt, your strength, stamina, speed, agility and magical potency are all increased a hundredfold. That shield and those bracelets can deflect metals and curses alike, even the Unforgivables. The sword can cut atoms into particles, the tiara can be hurled like boomerangs and will always return to you, the lasso is unbreakable and compels all caught within to speak and say nothing but the truth and the Caduceus wand is a match for all but the Elder Wand itself. Your boots are charmed for silence and to fly at a thought from you. The armour will magically adjust to your body as you grow into a woman and in due course with pregnancies. Finally, there is a charm on your tiara ensuring that nobody not already in on your civilian identity will be able to deduce it.

"The rest of you are the Furies. All of you have your strength, stamina, speed, agility and magical potency all enhanced fiftyfold, with the other gifts identical to Wonder Witch's.

"Hermione is Wisdom; Parvati, Grace; Padma, Justice; Ginny, Fire; Lavender, Beauty; Angelina, Gale; Wednesday, Goth; Katie, Cyclone; Alicia, Hurricane; Luna, Moonlight; Susan, Nemesis; Hannah, Healer; Daphne, Protectress; Astoria, Warrior; Tracey, Defender and Pansy, Wrath. Fight valiantly in the cause of Peace, Truth, Justice and Love!"

"We shall!" Wonder Witch and her Furies declared in union.

"You shall indeed," Athena declared. "Go in our names to pursue your goals!

"_Lord Voldemort won't know what will hit him!_"

"So, Ron," Jean asked, "what did you think of Hermione and Padma in armour? Wasn't it impressive?!"

"You won't hit me if I say that my first thought was _how hot they both looked?!_"

John laughed. "Ron, you of all people have the right to think that about them."

Hermione and Padma snogged him in turn, as Bharat and Preeti agreed with John and Jean.

After that, they went to the dining tables. Parvati, Padma, Harry, Millie and Hermione served the meal from magical heating trolleys.

"I didn't think that curry would be something that could appeal to me," Molly Weasley admitted. "I was expecting something that would burn out my insides! That was mildly spicy but tasted more of coconut than anything else.

"It was very pleasant, my dears. My compliments to the chefs!"

Everyone agreed that the meal had been a success. All parents were delighted to learn that they could visit the island as often as they wanted. The children's new seat of learning would be accessible to all parents, but not let evildoers anywhere near it.

After the parents had gone home, the young mages returned to their tents. That night, they all slept soundly.

Potter Island had had its first major social gathering.

Rex Milligan went through a portal to Potter Island the following morning. Louise and Jean Dana came through another one from the Dana House in Oak Falls, their home town. After a long kiss between Rex and Louise, they all went for a stroll along the beach. They came across Luna, Astoria and Ginny sunbathing on a beach mat. Luna was is a red and white striped one-piece with legs and sleeves, and Astoria and Ginny in conservative green bikinis.

"Hello, Luna," Rex said kindly, as Louise and Jean somehow managed not to giggle at a swimsuit old-fashioned even when Louise was 14 and Jean 13 in 1929.

"Hello Rex," Luna said with a smile. "Ms and Ms Dana…"

"I'm Louise and that's Jean, Ms Lovegood…"

"I'm Luna, and these are Astoria and Ginny. If you become their friends, you can call them respectively Tori and Gin. I'm their friend. I've never really had friends before.

"If you become my friend, you can call me Loony…"

"Luna," Astoria said sternly, "as we told you before, _anyone who calls you Loony isn't your friend!_ Gin and I are. Neither of us call you that. _You may be quirky, but you are not a lunatic!_"

"She's right," Ginny agreed. "If any of your Ravenclaw _acquaintances _call you _that_, let Padma know. If she cannot put a stop to it, I'm sure either of us or Harry can!"

Luna once again found tears in her eyes as she was drawn into a three-way hug. "_Friends!_"

"That's right! _Friends forever!_" With that Astoria pecked first Luna and then Ginny on the cheek.

Before too long, all the young mages were on the beach. They all gathered in a circle around Wonder Woman, who had just literally landed on the island.

"_Hello, Wonder Woman_!" Louise said delightedly. "It is good to see you again. Thanks again for saving Rex and me from that bionic dragon in 1977."

"No problem, Ms Dana. We never did exchange autographs afterwards though!"

"We can do that now," said Rex, tearing two blank pages out of his exercise book. He, Louise and Jean signed one and handed both to Wonder Woman. She signed the second one in turn and handed it to Louise.

"Now, I want to show you something, Mr Milligan, Ms Dana and Ms Dana." Wonder Woman then did her _quick spin change act_, but not into Diana, Princess of the Amazons of Themyscira.

"_Agent Diana Prince of the Inter-Agency Defence Command?!_" Jean remembered. "So _that_ was why you vanished during the period that Wonder Woman was rescuing our friends before taking down the bad guys. You and she are one and the same!"

"Exactly, Ms Dana. Again, you and your sister live up to your reputation."

"Call us Louise and Jean. Ms Dana gets confusing otherwise."

"You can call me Rex too."

"Thank you, my friends. You can all call me Diana when I am either an IADC Agent or a Princess of the Amazons and not a superheroine.

"On the subject of superheroines, my friends, may I present Wonder Witch and her Furies?" At that all the witches span themselves into their _costumed alter egos. _"They may be young now, but we can train them into an elite force.

"On that subject, I must visit an old friend from another pantheon. The young wizards need a power boost too!" With that, Diana span herself back into Wonder Witch and flew off to Themyscira. There she took a portal to another realm.

"I wonder what this increased strength business is about," Wisdom mused. She leaned against a boulder, that was pushed backwards as she did so. "_Wow! That must weigh a couple of tonnes. I only leaned on it gently._"

"We shall learn more about it once our training proper starts," Wonder Witch decided. "For now, we are going to be working on our relationships and our tans!

"Fancy another swimming lesson, Harry?"

"I would love one, Wonder Witch. Coming, Wrath?"

Wrath merely grinned at him, before joining Wonder Witch in spinning themselves back into Pansy and Millie.

Wonder Woman was in a tavern. There was a tall blonde bearded man by the bar, clad in expensive armour.

"Greetings to you, Prince Thor of the _Aesir_."

"Greetings to you, Princess Diana of the Amazons. You are the Champion of the World of Men again?"

"Not today, but one day soon, I am told.

"Today, I am here as an emissary of the Six Goddesses. They have chosen a group of young British mages for training. What do you know of the British wizard world, Thor? I know that magic is more in your brother's ballpark…"

"There are rumours that the so-called Lord Voldemort is not dead, but merely disincorporated. He is supposedly trying to return to some form of corporality. Apparently, the young mage who vanquished him as a baby has foiled at least two such attempts over the last couple of years.

"I take it that if the Six Goddesses are involved, there is truth to such rumours. Well, if you want any smiting done, Diana of Themyscira, _I am yours to command!_"

"We gifted the witches magic armour and weapons enhancing their strength, speed, stamina, agility and magical power severalfold. Please could the All-Father could something to enhance the young wizards, who are to be led by the Boy-Who-Lived himself?"

"I shall speak to my father. King Eitri of Nidavellir made Mjolnir and other weapons and armour for my family and me. He might be able to come up with something for them.

"In the meantime, my old comrade-in-arms, let us drink and reminisce about battles past. The Ladies Sif and Valkyrie are always glad to see you again as well."

"As am I to see them, old friend."


	5. Chapter 5: Enter the Raiders

Pansy Parkinson, Hermione reflected, had previously been a _complete cow!_ Other than having a nice line in sarcasm, however, Pansy Potter only had her physical appearance in common with her previous self. Even said looks were transformed by her beaming smile. Hermione would never have imagined that she, Padma, Hannah and Pansy would be enjoying a large pot of tea in a reading room together.

Hermione had seen the Six Goddesses add some new wizard tents that afternoon. One was labelled as containing a library and reading room. The four young witches, all avid bibliophiles, had all gone inside to peruse the extensive collection. Once each of them had selected a book from the sizeable collection in the main library, Padma had found a small kitchen attached to the reading room. A large teapot of hot Darjeeling under a tea cosy was quickly prepared. Now, four elegant bone china teacups on saucers were on the large coffee table, as the four witches were read, drank and chatted together, with Hermione and Padma cuddled together on a sofa and Hannah and Pansy in armchairs.

"I never thought that I would be married to Harry Potter," Pansy remarked happily, "but couldn't be happier that I effectively am. Harry's kind, gentle and a fantastic kisser.

"Everyone, I'm sorry for having been _such a bitch_. I was under pressure from my father to be a _proper pureblood lady,_ but that is no real excuse. All I can say is that I hope you see that the _real Pansy_ is me and not _her…_"

"I'm sure that we shall," Hermione assured her. "You are making a great first impression, Pansy dear. The charming girl who has won Harry, Ginny and Parvati's hearts is _not the old you!_ If we spend more time with _this new you,_ I am sure that we will be close friends.

"You and the other four Slytherins are welcome members of our coven."

"Thank you, Hermione. I would very much like for us all to be one happy family."

"As would I! _Group hug!_" With that, the four witches got up and shared a four-way embrace.

Pansy was smiling through tears. _Finally, I have a family that truly loves me…_

_Of course, Pans. We love you! Never doubt it!_

_Thanks, Gin. I owe you a long kiss._

_I'll collect it later, darling!_

_We are having a date night tonight. Mum and Dad are setting up a romantic candlelight dinner for us at Greengrass Manor. If the pair of you share a comfy settee before the meal, there should be plenty of opportunities for snogging. Tori and Luna will be dining with Mum and Dad separately._

_Thanks, Daffy._

Katie Bell smiled as she watched her soulmates' share a long kiss. She, Fred and Alicia were all on a beach blanket. Both witches had decided to wear their skimpiest bikinis. As a result, Fred had been even more attentive to them than usual.

"Fancy a swim, loves?" Katie asked, once Fred and Alicia had finally stopped snogging. "We need to change into more substantial swimwear first though. These bikinis are good for sunbathing and giving Freddy an eyeful, but not much else."

"Both you and Alicia have such great _boobs and bums_, Katie, that I just want to keep getting said eyeful for the moment. That _cracking arse _of yours looks _so good _in a thong-style bikini bottom.

"I am sure that a bit of snogging should take your mind off swimming…"

Katie quickly discovered that Fred was right. Of course, the fact that his swimming trunks were also on the skimpy side didn't make a bit of difference to her way of thinking!

"How are you and your True Loves getting on, Sis?" Pugsley asked.

"Very well, _mon cher frère_," Wednesday grinned, as the two were feeding Homer and Lucifer in a tent that had been set up by the goddesses as a menagerie. Nearby Harry was making a fuss of a proudly preening Hedwig, as was Ron of Pigwidgeon and some of the girls of their respective owls. Millie and Hermione were playing with their cats, whilst Neville was retrieving Trevor from the undergrowth. It was good, Wednesday thought happily, that they were surrounded by other animal lovers.

"I think that you will do us proud as a superheroine, _mi querida hermana_. _Goth_ is a perfect _nom de guerre _for an Addams, of course."

"Thank you, Bro. I mean to live up to your expectations. Maybe you will get to be a superhero too."

"So, Diana," Thor asked as the two of them arrived at Nidavellir, "how many sets of armour are you after? What sorts of weapons do you have in mind? King Eitri likes to have some idea what potential clients are after."

"Six sets of armour with full magic belts to enhance both physical prowess and magical potency. We would also want shields, swords and wands.

"Can Eitri provide those?"

"That should be possible. Light armour, helmets, magic belts, swords, scabbards and wands should all be within his power

"_King Eitri?!_ It is I, Thor of Asgard! I have work for thee!"

The dwarf-giant emerged. "Ah, Prince Thor, what does the All-Father request this day?

"_An Olympian?_ It is many a long year since I last had dealings with Mount Olympus. What dost thou request, my friend?"

"I am Princess Diana of Themyscira. The Amazons are after armour and weapons for six young wizards.

"The Boy-Who-Lived needs protection against the self-styled Dark Lord Voldemort, King Eitri. He and his friends Neville Longbottom, Pugsley Addams and Frederick, George and Ronald Weasley need armour and weapons. I ask for helmets, armour, swords, scabbards, wands, wand holsters, shields and performance-enhancing magic belts.

"I take it that the wands are to be capable of immense power; the swords both keen and strong; the armour and shields capable of blocking even the _Unforgiveable Curses_; and the belts of enhancing the wearers' magical as well as physical strength? Yes, I can do that.

"The armour shall be automatically size-adjusting. Not only strength, but speed, stamina and agility shall be increased manifold. What level of increase were you looking for?"

"A hundredfold for Harry Potter and fiftyfold for the other five, please. That should be more than enough for the…

"_Furies won't work for men. Heroes seems too generic. Argonauts is misleading…_"

"_What about Raiders?!_" Thor boomed. "Since their armour and weapons are of Nidavellir, a Northern European title seems fitting."

"It sounds like a Viking landing party," Diana mused. "_I like it, Thor! Raiders it is!_"

"I can get all prepared quickly. Do you want to take me to the young wizards tomorrow?

"One thing that I shall attempt is a transformation into the armour from normal attire and back again based on your own method. Can you demonstrate it please?" In response, Diana performed her usual _quick spin change routine_. "Thank you, Your Highness. _Excellent!_

"The armour should be ready in one Midgard day. See you tomorrow, Your Highnesses."

Thor signalled to Heimdall for the Bifrost and took Diana back to Asgard, where she stayed overnight in Lady Sif's guest bedroom.

"Hi everyone!" said Sarah Greengrass, as Luna, Astoria, Harry and his soulmates came through the portal from Potter Island. "Welcome to Greengrass Manor.

"Harry, Pansy, Millie, Giles and Amelia should be getting the relevant paperwork to allow him to take over as your legal guardian approved shortly. Our house, therefore, is _your house._ Ginny, Wednesday, you are always welcome here, as you already were, Tracey. Soulmates are already effectively part of the family after all. Luna, as a good friend of Tori's, you are also always welcome in this house."

"Thank you, _Mum,_" Harry said, hugging her. _Is this what having a mother feels like?!_

_You have five, Harry. I know that none of them can ever replace Lily Potter, but they can be worthy stand-ins. My parents are your parents, as are Trace's, Parv's, Gin's and Weds', Harry._

Harry kissed Daphne as passionately as he could._ I love you, my darling Daffy!_

_I love you too, Harry dearest!_

_Err, Daffy, I think your Mum wants a chat. As great as it is to be lip-locked and tongue-tied with Harry, it does limit your conversational skills…_

_Thanks, Trace. Sorry, Harry. We'll have to reschedule the rest of our snogging session…_

_I will hold you to that, Daffy._

"Well, my darling elder daughter, _you are True Loves alright!_ I am _very happy_ for you.

"Harry, are you happy to have at least one son take Daffy's maiden name?"

"We have discussed it, Mum. I am to take the surname Greengrass-Potter. Any sons will be surnamed Greengrass. Since Millie and Pans are already Potters and Gin and Weds both have brothers, I am sure that Harry will have sons to carry on the Potter name.

"I believe that we are in the front sitting room for the start of the evening and then the main dining room for our meal. You, Dad, Tori and Luna are eating in the family dining room."

"Quite right, Daffy. You won't want us in your candlelight soiree…"

"I always want you, Mum, but it would be awkward having you all around whilst I am swapping sweet nothings with my True Loves."

"_It would be more like swapping saliva, Daffy!_" teased Astoria. "Still, if Harry were my soulmate, I'd want to snog him senseless all the time too! It would be the same for your other soulmates. _You are a very lucky girl, Sis!_

"Welcome to the family, everyone!"

"Thanks, Tori!" Harry laughed, hugging her tightly. "_I shall love having you as a sister-in-law!_"

"As I almost said, _I shall have the coolest brother-in-law ever!_

"Would you like me and Daffy to give everyone the guided tour of the manor, Mum? Trace, Pans, Parv and Millie have all visited before, but the others haven't."

"Please, Tori, Daffy."

"_This is the life!_" Angelina sighed, lying back on the bed. "Sun, sea sand and _sex!_

"Georgie, darling, get a move on with that next batch of contraceptive potion. I can't get enough of _you in me!_ You have turned me into a nymphomaniac!"

"_And I couldn't be happier that I have!_" George grinned, casting lascivious looks at the naked young woman. "All I ever want to do is to make love to you…"

"_Then get your arse into gear and finish that potion!_

"I love you, George Weasley! _Now I want us sharing that love as soon as possible!_"

"It's ready, Angie.

"I love you too, Angelina!" He dropped his bathrobe and lay down beside her. "_Now, bottom's up!_" They each drank a large dose of the potion, before resuming their lovemaking.

"_Ah, Princess,_" boomed Thor, as he and Diana met up the following day in Asgard, "King Eitri has said that he hath finished his craftsmanship on the weapons.

"Shall we visit that island this evening? I would wish to speak with the _Boy-Who-Lived…_"

"Harry Potter hates that title, Prince Thor. He feels that his mother deserves the credit. What could he have done as a fifteen-month-old human wizard baby to deserve such praise?"

"I can understand that, Princess Diana. To be celebrated for becoming an orphan as a toddler is what no child wants.

"If half of what we hear in Asgard is true, however, Harry Potter has earned his fame these last few years. For a boy not yet thirteen to have defeated a nearly millennium-old basilisk is a deed worthy to be sung in the banqueting hall of Valhalla for all eternity. Then for a boy shy of his fifteenth birthday to cast a _Patronus_ capable of resisting dozens of those foul soul-sucking leeches is another feat worthy of immortal acclaim.

"It is for this that we are giving him and his friends the armour and arsenal that they might reach their true potential, Diana. Harry Potter is worthy of an eternity in Valhalla as a great champion already."

"There is a place for him in Elysium too," Diana agreed heartily, "should he so wish. Harry has all the makings of a great hero, Thor. The _Powers That Be_ are taking an interest for a reason, Thor. Not those shadowy idiots that supposedly _help _the Watchers' Council and their latest Chosen One, but the Lion of Narnia, the White Wizard, the Flying Nanny, the Lonely Angel and others. They don't get involved directly for _just anyone you know!_

"With the young mages all fully armed, we can give them some proper training. With you, me, Jason Blood, the Doctor, Doctor Fate, the Ancient One and others, we should have plenty of experience on board."

"I am sure that Sif, Valkyrie and the Warriors Three would also be willing to train them too, Diana, as your mother and sisters would too.

"Now, I must go and collect King Eitri from Nidavellir. Farewell!"

With that, Thor signalled to Heimdall for the Bifrost to take him to Nidavellir.

Harry had enjoyed the tour of the manor and was now seated on a comfortable sofa in the main sitting room. Daphne and he were kissing passionately, as were Ginny and Pansy on another settee nearby.

A house elf appeared with an audible _bang_. "Mistress Daphne, please may you and your soulmates proceed to the main dining room. Dinner is to be served in fifteen minutes.

"Tonight's menu is a seafood cocktail and salad, followed by a ten-ounce Aberdeen Angus sirloin steak apiece, served with chips, peas, mushrooms, tomatoes and onion rings. Please let Dippy know how you like your steaks so that Dippy can tell Chief Cook Flower. Finally, dessert is to be Bramley apple pie with custard. Dippy assumes that Mistress Daphne and her soulmates are happy to have claret with their meal and has selected a particularly fine vintage."

"Thank you, Dippy," Daphne replied. "Pass on our thanks to Flower please. We shall be in the main dining room with time to spare."

They were indeed. The dining room was lit by candlelight alone and was tastefully decorated. All the cutlery was polished silver and the crockery was Crown Derby of a rare design. The claret was of the highest quality and the food was cooked to perfection from the finest ingredients.

Harry had rarely had wine before, although Parvati and the Slytherin girls were used to having alcohol with meals at home. Wednesday wasn't, given her American upbringing. The Burrow was not exactly noted for serving expensive wine.

Once their meal was over, they met up in the drawing room with Luna, Astoria, Giles and Sarah. After coffee and mints, the young mages hugged Giles and Sarah goodbye and returned through the portal to Potter Island.

Shortly after Harry and his soulmates had arrived back on the island, a rainbow appeared, and three figures stepped out. One was Diana, the other was a very tall bearded blond man carrying a massive hammer and a craggy giant. "Everyone, this is Prince Thor of the _Aesir_ and King Eitri of Nidavellir, the world of the Dwarf-Giants."

"King Eitri made my hammer, the Mighty Mjolnir," boomed Thor, "and many other items for my father the All-Father, my mother, my brother and me, as well as our fellow Asgardians. He has provided the young wizards from your number with armour and weapons almost unmatched on Midgard." With that, Thor raised Mjolnir heavenwards and five forks of lightning flashed from it to strike each of the six wizards. Harry, Pugsley, Neville, Fred, George and Ron span rapidly to the right and a vortex, flash of light and a thunderclap later were dressed in plate armour on their arms, torsos, flanks and legs; red cloaks; thick leather belts from which broadswords in scabbards and wands in holsters hung; helmets; and shields were slung across their backs. Rather than the _hoplon_ shields of the Furies, however, these were closer to Scottish _targes_, with a spiked brass boss in the centre of a round iron shield. The boss would be almost as lethal as the bladed broadswords.

"You are _the Raiders_," Thor continued. "Those swords, shields and armour are made with vibranium. Your wands contain leaves from Yggdrasil itself as cores and are made from ash cut from that tree. The belts enhance Mr Potter both physically and magically a hundredfold and the rest of you fiftyfold.

"Use these gifts well. That so-called Dark Lord is one of any number of magical threats that need a good smiting!"

"Prince Thor is right," King Eitri agreed. "I asked Prince Loki himself to charge the wands with great magical power. Wield them and the rest of my creations well and only in the cause of good."

"We shall start your training in the near future," Diana promised. "Thor and some others from Asgard will be among your instructors."

"Thank you, King Eitri, Prince Thor," Harry bowed smartly in their direction. "These are welcome gifts. I feel as if I have a real chance of bringing down Voldemort once and for all!

"Thank you as well, Princess Diana. We shall all strive with all our enhanced might to be worthy of your great gifts to us."

"I can see a Great Spirit in you, Mr Potter," Thor rumbled approvingly. "Stories of your deeds are being said and sung in Valhalla. You have all the attributes for becoming a Mighty Champion.

"_All of you have great potential! What we can do is ensure that you realise that potential._

"Do you have any ideas for codenames, Diana?"

"I was thinking of _Champion_ for Harry, _Strength_ for Ron, _Brawn _for Pugsley, _Courage_ for Neville, _Marauder_ for Fred and _Berserker_ for George. The latter two have a nicely Norse feel to them, I think."

"I approve. Welcome to all my new comrades in arms. You shall do us all proud.

"Now I have to take King Eitri back to Nidavellir, before returning to Asgard." At that, both Asgardian and Dwarf-Giant entered the Bifrost, which disappeared with them. Diana flew back to Themyscira. The Raiders span themselves back into their civilian identities and escorted their ladies back to their tents.

The following morning, the four witches of the _Potter Island Book Club_, as Hermione had dubbed them, were again enjoying a pot of hot tea (this time Earl Grey) in the library tent's reading room. _I am now a superheroine,_ Hermione mused, _effectively married to both a witch and a wizard. Well, I_ _would never have imagined that!_

_You are happy, though, right?_ Padma mused. She drew her soulmate in closer as they sat on the cosy sofa together.

_I couldn't be happier, Pads. You and Ron are the Loves of my life. How could I not be happy?!_


	6. Chapter 6: A Matter of Wills

A couple of days later, Harry was lying on a beach mat next to Millie. "Fancy another swimming lesson, darling?" she asked, before stealing a quick kiss.

"Of course, Millie. That Second Test is due in February. If I am going to rescue one of my soulmates from the merpeople, I need to be able to swim.

"Plus, I get to spend time with you, Pans and possibly others of my girls in wet swimwear. What more can a boy want?!"

"_Any more comments like that and I shall be swimming skyclad, Harry!_"

"_As in… Wow!_"

"Not today, Harry, but one day I would like to go skinny-dipping with my loved ones.

"For the moment, however, I am concentrating on teaching you how to dive and to swim underwater so that we can be ready for the Second Task. Being at the bottom of a Scottish loch in February in the buff isn't on my to-do list!"

"I can understand that, Millie darling. When this is over, we can go for a skyclad midnight swim, just the eight of us. That should be an eye-opener!"

_Harry, Millie, Dad has provided several tonnes of Gillyweed completely free. I'll be joining you for your swim today._

_Thanks, Daffy. Say thank you to Dad for us too. You are always welcome to put on a swimsuit and join us._

_Thank you, Harry darling! Just for that, I'll wear a bikini and not a one-piece today._

_You don't have to wear anything that you are uncomfortable in…_

_You are so sweet, Harry! I couldn't have chosen a better husband!_

Harry ate the Gillyweed with some reluctance. Once he had finished, however, he felt queasy for a few moments, as he felt gills develop and his hands and feet become webbed. The fact that all seven of his soulmates were joining him added to his expectation.

Pansy smiled at him. _Since I'm not sure how having gills affects speech and we shall shortly be enjoying an underwater swim anyway, I suggest we communicate via thoughts this afternoon._

_That is an excellent idea, Pansy!_

_Thank you, Harry_.

As Pansy shared her thanks mentally, gills developed in all their necks and their hands and feet grew webbed skin between the digits. The Gillyweed was clearly working.

Having webbed feet and hands, Harry discovered, made swimming easier, even in the depths. Not having to surface thanks to the gills was an advantage, as was the enhanced vision. Admittedly, the crystal-clear waters around Potter Island were no match for the peaty blackness of the loch by Hogwarts, nor was the temperature in Northern Scotland in February likely to be anywhere near as warm. That said, it showed that Gillyweed would work. He also was enjoying the colours of the fish and other marine life and the

_It all seems to be going well so far. Any idea of how long the Gillyweed lasts for, Daffy?_

_I'm not entirely sure, Gin. We took reasonably generous dosages, so hopefully it should last about an hour or so. If not, we can up the dosage next time._

_That's alright by me. Practice makes perfect after all._

_Plus, you get to see Harry in his swimming trunks, Gin!_

_Not to mention, I get to see you in a bikini, Pans! Merlin, I love seeing all of you in swimwear!_

_We love seeing you in a bikini too, Gin!_

_Thanks, Trace. I'll snog you for the compliment later!_

_I'm looking forward to it, Gin._

As they conversed mentally, a pod of bottlenose dolphins swam past. _Did one of those dolphins just say hello?! _Daphne asked through the bond.

_I did. Dolphins have been friends with Amazons for millennia. All beasts are, magical or otherwise._

_What about adopted Asgardians? Are we friends of beasts too?_

_Of course!_

_That would have been great against that Hungarian Horntail! I could have asked it nicely to give me that golden egg!_

_Her, Harry._

_Sorry, Gin?!_

_The dragon was a nursing mother. Unless dragons are hermaphrodites, she must have been female. Thus, you should have asked her nicely, not it._

_Don't be logical, Gin. It annoys wizards when witches use logic._

_On behalf of my fellow wizards, Trace, hey! I stand corrected, Gin. Thank you._

_Well, as Amazons and Asgardians, honorary or otherwise, you are all seen as members of the pod. I am the matriarch._

_Thank you, my lady._

_What a well-mannered bunch you are. Welcome to our pod!_

_Thanks again, my lady. Have a good day. See you soon._

"Moony," Sirius commented to Remus and Tonks in the wizard tent that they shared, "do you think that I should reveal myself to the others? If Amelia Bones is working on establishing my innocence…"

"That's up to you, Padfoot.

"Do you know if there might be physical copies of James and Lily's wills anywhere? I know that their solicitor was killed a couple of weeks before they were, but if I knew them both, they would have had back-up copies. Might they be in Harry's vault? If so, he could authorise Augusta, Giles or even Amelia herself to look for them.

"Prongs and certainly Lily weren't idiots, Sirius. They would have said who the secret keeper was, if the wills were updated afterwards. If so, we have a means to cast doubt on your guilt for betraying the Potters, if nothing else."

"I hadn't considered that. Thank you, Remus. Actually, my dear cousin Nymphadora…"

"_Don't make me hurt you!_ Do you mean…?"

"See if the Goddesses will authorise a link with the Diagon Alley Branch of Gringotts, please. If so, you should be able to escort Harry and his girls there. You can then look for the wills and pass them to Amelia if you find them.

"If we can give Amelia and Dumbledore a reason to reopen the case against me, at least that should get the _kiss order_ on me removed. Then maybe I can get the trial that I _should have had back in 1981!_"

"It would be my pleasure, Sirius."

"Only you, Nev," Lavender noted, "would be busy building a greenhouse on a tropical island! You and your bloody plants!"

"You love me, Lav, _bloody plants and all!_

"Gran, Uncle Algie, Giles Greengrass and the Patils have all provided me with new plants to cultivate. No time like the present, love!"

"Well, you have three girlfriends who would like some attention as well!"

"You shall all have it, Lav darling. It is just that we need somewhere to study herbology once we start our training in a couple of weeks. More to the point, I love those _bloody plants! _Admittedly, not _quite as much_ as I do you, Han and Sue…"

"I'm not entirely sure about how to take being slightly more beloved than a mandrake!" She pecked his lips affectionately. "Still, I love you for being the _you that you are!_"

Neville smiled happily at her, before continuing to wave his wand and the flatpack greenhouse once again was assembling itself. Lavender sighed happily and cast her own charms to aid her soulmate. _Many hands make light work…_

Harry was lying back on his beach mat when Remus came up to him, with Padfoot padding along at his feet. The pink-haired woman, who Harry had learned was an Auror named Nymphadora Tonks, as usual was also with them.

"Harry," Remus said, "I take it that all your ladies know that…"

"That _dog_ at your side, Professor," Parvati interrupted, "is really an escaped convict, who spent nearly a dozen years in Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit? We share Harry's thoughts, so all know what he knows.

"Mr Black, you have nothing to fear from us."

The massive black hound gave a laugh-like bark before turning back into Sirius Black. "Call me Sirius, Ms Patil."

"If you call me Parvati, Sirius."

"You should call me Remus, all of you. I might be helping teach you, but I am no longer your professor in any formal sense."

"_Everyone, just call me Tonks or else!_"

"Harry, girls, we think that Prongs and Lily might have left copies of their wills in your Gringotts vault, hopefully stating that Peter and not Sirius was their Secret Keeper. We have asked the Six Goddesses to open a portal to the Diagon Alley branch in an hour's time. With the Bank Holiday for New Year's Day the day after tomorrow, it should be relatively empty. The portal is due to open into a private area of the bank in any case.

"Your eldest brother shall meet you all there, Ginny."

"_Bill?!_ He's in…"

"He has been reassigned to the Diagon Alley Branch. The Goddesses requested it. You shall need his expertise apparently. Bill also needs to meet his future soulmate, a Miss Fleur Delacour. I believe that she is one of your fellow competitors, Harry."

"Yes, Remus. _Good for Bill!_ She's a gorgeous part-Veela, albeit a bit haughty.

"She's still not a patch on _any of my_ girls, though. I am _really lucky!_"

_You are so getting snogged for that later, Harry._

_Thanks, Daffy. I'll hold you to that._

_You won't have to, darling! I'm not forgetting that you thought that I was more attractive than Fleur! I suspect that I won't be the only one after a long kiss either…_

The other six girls all happily echoed her thoughts. Wednesday might not have met Fleur, but what young witch wouldn't want a soulmate who thought her more beautiful than a part-Veela?!

"Ah, Mr Potter and ladies," the goblin said, "we were expecting you.

"Mr Weasley, if you would accompany us to Vault 687 please? Thank you."

"Certainly. Hello again, Harry, Gin, Remus, Tonks." Bill smiled as his sister threw herself into his arms.

"_Bill! How is my favourite brother?_"

"Very well, thanks. You look the happiest I've seen you since before your first year. _I hope that is a sign that Mr Potter and the others are treating you well…_"

"You don't have to defend my honour, Bill. I couldn't be happier with all seven of my soulmates.

"_I am in love, brother dear!_"

"_We all love you too, Gin!_" Harry pulled her in for a quick kiss.

"_Please allow me to continue to think of my sister as a little girl, Harry!_"

"_My virtue is still intact, Bill!_ _Merlin, I'm not even fourteen yet!_

"Now, take us to the vault and stop making sarcastic comments or _I shall cast my best bat-bogey hex at you!_"

"_Anything but that, Ginny dear!_" Bill shuddered before leading them to the vaults. Ginny decided to sit on Harry's lap during the cart ride down. After all, Bill might be her favourite brother, but that just made embarrassing him more fun.

"Here we are!" Millie exclaimed, as the cart came to a halt beside Vault 687. "Do you know what we are looking for, Pro… _Remus?!_"

Remus grinned. "Nicely caught, Millicent."

"If I can call you Remus, then you can call me Millie."

"Fair enough, _Millie._

"To answer your first question, probably a couple of scrolls of parchment."

"That makes sense. We'll get on to…

"_Wow! You're rich, Harry! I knew the Potters were wealthy, but…_"

"No Gin. _We're rich!_

"Everything I have belongs to all of us now."

_That's so sweet! If Bill wasn't here, you would be getting the snogging of your life…_

_I'll claim it later, Gin!_

"Well, somewhere amongst all these coins, there must be… _I think I've found them, mon amour!_"

"_Weds?!_" Harry smiled as Wednesday pulled two relatively recent scrolls from a corner of the vault not covered in piles of _galleons_, _sickles_ and _knuts_. "Those certainly look promising. Well done, Weds! Bring them over here please.

Wednesday handed the scrolls to Remus. He opened them. "These are the _Last Wills and Testaments_ of James and Lily Potter. Well done, Ms Addams!"

"Call me Wednesday, _mon vieux!_ Harry thinks of you as an honorary uncle. That makes you family to Wednesday Friday Addams!"

"Thank you, my dear. Let's see what they say…

"Tonks, Bill, Wormtail _is listed as their Secret Keeper!_

"By the way, Harry, if Sirius was unable to look after you, the next in line to be your guardians should have been the Longbottoms, the Greengrasses, the Boneses, the Patils, the Davises, the Abbotts and the Tonkses in that order. Sadly, your parents' solicitor was killed, and his premises burnt down by Death Eaters shortly before Prongs and Lily's own deaths. Albus Dumbledore isn't listed as a witness or executor. He can't be blamed for assuming that Lily's sister, as the next of kin, was the best choice."

"That would give my parents a good claim for guardianship until Amelia Bones can get Sirius cleared," Daphne noted happily.

"_Great! I would love to have them as my guardians!_

"You could end up with a full household, if Millie, Pans and I are all becoming their wards."

"There is plenty of room in Greengrass Manor, Harry. We have more than three spare bedrooms."

"I don't mind bunking up with Millie or you if push comes to shove!" Pansy laughed.

"At any rate, we have found what we were looking for. Let's get back to the island."

"Wait a minute please, Remus." Harry selected seven necklaces from a pile of jewellery, before placing one apiece around the necks of each of his soulmates. "_Consider them late Christmas presents, my loves!_"

_There are seven snogs coming your way when we get back to our tent, Harry! Our luck was really in, girls!_

_Thank you, Trace._

"_Quidditch! What about quidditch?!_!"

"Angie?!"

"We are only technically Hogwarts pupils from now on, Katie. How do we play quidditch?"

Katie, Alicia and the Weasley twins looked at Angelina with affectionate exasperation. "Perhaps we should contact Puddlemere United?" Fred joked. "She seems to be channelling Oliver Wood, but he's still alive last I heard."

"_Oi twin of mine! Don't insult my girl!_"

"Thanks, Georgie. _Someone is getting very lucky tonight!_" Angelina kissed her soulmate passionately.

As the couple parted, the portal to Gringotts opened and Remus, Tonks and Harry and his soulmates came through. "_We've found it, Padfoot!_" Remus shouted, running off in the direction of the wizard tent that he shared with Sirius.

"Harry," Angelina asked, "is there any chance of us being able to stage quidditch matches on Potter Island?"

"We have more than 14 young mages, Angie, so it should be possible. I am sure that we could set up a couple of decent teams.

"How about our old team, with Ron replacing Oliver as keeper, against seven other volunteers?"

"Thanks, Harry! I'll see about getting a pitch set up!" Angelina pulled Harry into a hug before pecking his cheek. She then grabbed George and dragged him at speed towards their wizard tent.

"Well, I think that we need to put a team together," Ginny noted with a laugh.

"I'll ask Remus to put in an order for everything we need for a proper quidditch match," Harry said. "Who needs a new broom?"

"I'll never be able to afford a proper broom."

"Remember, Gin, whatever I have is…" Harry was cut off as Ginny covered his lips with hers.

_I promised you the snogging of your life, didn't I?!_

That evening, Harry took a portal to Amelia Bones' house alongside his soulmates, Neville and his and Remus, Tonks and Sirius (as Padfoot). He gave her his copies of both wills, before Sirius returned to human form. Whilst it was not yet a conclusive case, the fact that Peter Pettigrew was listed as the secret keeper in both wills (authenticated as valid) did make a compelling argument that should be heard in court.

"Minister Fudge is likely to be stubborn," Amelia sighed. "Sadly, Lucius Malfoy is currently acting as Draco's proxy for the Black vote as the male heir after Sirius and he has Cornelius's ear."

"More like his _purse strings_, boss!" Tonks quipped.

"True. Whilst I don't think that Cornelius sees donations to his re-election fund as bribes per se, he does defer to Malfoy rather too often following the latter's _contributions_ to said fund.

"It would not be in Malfoy's best interests for Sirius to receive a trial, particularly if he is acquitted. It therefore won't be in Fudge's best interests either. We would have to way to take the case before the Wizengamot without informing the Ministry first."

"What about Dumbledore?" Remus asked. "As Chief Warlock, he could arrange for a trial to be held before a standard session. The Ministry cannot interfere directly in Wizengamot proceedings."

"True. We do have evidence that a man was unjustly imprisoned without trial for almost twelve years. It might cause annoyance that a member of an Ancient and Noble Family, one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight no less, was so imprisoned. At least, it would raise awkward questions on the members of the Wizengamot.

"I'll speak to Dumbledore, Remus. Thank you for the suggestion. I'll ask Andromeda Tonks to speak to a good wizard barrister about a defence.

"By the way, I have arranged for the Greengrasses to become the legal guardians of Harry, Pansy and Millicent. The paperwork shall be ready for Giles and Sarah to sign tomorrow."

"Thank you, Madam Bones," Harry said. "I shall invite the families over to Potter Island tomorrow evening for a New Year's Eve Party as a celebration."

"I shall be glad to attend, Harry."

"It is always good to see you, Auntie," Susan said. "Feel free to visit us at any time."

"I shall keep that in mind, Sue darling."

"Someday soon, you shall hopefully be a free man, Sirius," Harry said. "That must be a good feeling."

"It is, Harry.

"Amelia has a point, though. There are interests not best served by my liberty…"

Fawkes the phoenix appeared in a flash of fire carrying a note. He allowed Harry to take the parchment from him before perching on a nearby tree.

Harry opened the note. "Well, Sirius, Professor Dumbledore means to bring my parents' wills before the Wizengamot at the start of the next session without informing the Ministry first. That should let him overrule the _Kiss_ order against you and allow you to surrender for a fair trial."

"I must write to Dumbledore to thank him…" Sirius began. Fawkes flew down, as Harry returned to his tent to get some parchment.


	7. Chapter 7: Party Like it is 1995!

"Being in love suits you, darling," Jean Granger said to her daughter. "I don't think that I have ever seen you happier."

"_Ron and Pads are wonderful, Mum!_ Soulmates are supposed to be your perfect match. _The three of us are made for each other!_

"Mum, Dad, we shall be having a New Year's Eve party on the island tonight. All parents and guardians are welcome!"

"Including us, I take it," John Granger laughed. "_We'll be there, Hermione! Wild horses couldn't keep us away!_"

"I'll get our summer clothes out," his wife noted. "Light smart casual should be appropriate."

"Exactly, Mum. Pads and I shall be in minidresses, if that helps. Nothing too fancy.

"Actually, there is a spot of beach that the three of us use for sunbathing. Put T-shirts and shorts over swimwear and come along and join us."

"Will Ron and Padma be OK with this?"

"They both like you and Mum, Dad. I can't see them objecting.

"Bikinis and swimming trunks tend to be the order of the day on Potter Island, so both my True Loves are used to being seen in such attire. _We only have eyes for each other in any event. I am so lucky!_"

_We all are, Hermione. I am happy to have the pair of you in my life._

_Pads, Hermione, you are both so getting snogged when we are back in the tent!_

_Thanks, my loves! I'm looking forward to it, Ron._

_Me too, Ron._

"Are you OK, Hermione darling? You seem rather distracted."

"I'm OK, Mum. One benefit of being soulmates is that we share a form of telepathy. Ours has fully formed now. _I shall never be lonely again! Even when we are apart, they are both always with me._

"Apparently, the Six Goddesses have worked their magic so that all of us shall be one coven, the _Coven of Hecate_. All twenty-three of us shall to be able to communicate with each other telepathically then."

"That sounds as if it could get embarrassing."

"We should be able to ensure that only the three of us can share private conversations, Dad. I don't mind Ron and Pads making comments about my bust, legs or bum, but I draw the line at anyone else."

_Both my girls have cracking arses!_

_All three of us do, Ron. Hermione's got better boobs than you though!_

_Your boobs are great too, Pads._

_Thanks, Hermione. Ron won't be the only one snogging you senseless later…_

_I'm looking forward to it, Pads._

"You seem distracted again, Hermione darling."

"_Oh!_ No problems, Dad. It is just Ron and Padma complimenting me on my figure!"

_Give our love to your folks, Hermione. I'll pass on yours to mine._

_Thank you Pads._

_The same from me to both sets of parents. I'll do the same to Mum and Dad._

_Thanks, Ron._

"My True Loves both send their love…"

"Thank them and reciprocate the love, sweetheart."

"Thanks, Mum. I will."

"Neville?"

"Daphne? What's up?"

"We have been practising with the Gillyweed in the sea here. That is temperate saltwater. Harry will be in the lake at Hogwarts, which is freshwater and likely to be chilly in February. Would the dosage be the same?"

"That is a good question, Daphne. As far as I know, scholars are still debating whether the effects in saltwater are significantly different than in freshwater. I would ask Professor Dumbledore if you can practice in the lake.

"Ask Harry about getting himself a more traditional swimsuit. You know, like the one Luna wears."

"Thanks, Neville."

"No problem, Daphne. _You can call me Nev!_"

"In which case, _I'm Daffy, Nev!_"

"Remus," Harry asked, visiting the tent shared by the two surviving good Marauders, "why weren't my parents' wills discovered earlier? I mean, it was the obvious place to look."

"Wizards only pay death duties, Inheritance Tax and Capital Gains Tax on savings and estates in the Muggle world, Harry. It could be argued that the Ministry of Magic effectively taking James and Lily's house into public ownership would have covered anything due in the Wizard World. Other than to cover your Hogwarts' fees, the goblins had no need to collect anything from your vault either.

"At the end of the day, Harry, you found the wills because you were looking for them. Why would a goblin looking for money for any reason have searched through piles of parchment when there were plenty of coins everywhere else?"

"Thank you, Moony. That makes sense. Other than me, only Hagrid and Mrs Weasley had ever been in my vault and I doubt that they thought to look for wills either."

"Indeed, Harry. Perhaps they should have left further copies at the Ministry, but that is water under the bridge now."

"If I had been given a trial," Sirius added, "I could have asked for a search to be made to assist with my defence, if I had thought of it.

"Harry, we have both wills now. Amelia can use them if she and Dumbledore can arrange a trial. We have evidence that states that Peter was the real Secret Keeper. That is all that I care about now.

"You have a family now, Harry. There are seven young ladies who love you. All you need do is return their loves."

"I do, Sirius. Thank you both very much.

"Now, I have a meeting with a pod of dolphins to attend…"

"Not to mention your soulmates in bikinis to ogle…"

"_Don't embarrass Harry, Sirius! _Enjoy your swim, Harry!"

"This is lovely, darlings," Jean Granger commented, lying on a sunbed with her husband. "You are so lucky to have this as a home. Thank you for inviting us."

"Mum, Dad, I might effectively be married, but _I am always your little girl!_ You are always welcome to come and see me."

"Hermione's right," Padma agreed. "John, Jean, you haven't lost your daughter. _You gained two other children to go with her…_"

"I agree. We Weasleys are all about _family!_ I have a Mum, Dad, five brothers, a sister and a batty old maternal great-aunt! Now I have two soulmates, whilst my twin brothers and my sister have a further eleven between them. According to what Remus told Harry, my eldest brother also is due to meet his soulmate soon. Their families are also now my family.

"Since Hermione and Padma are _my_ soulmates, that makes you both and Padma's parents and sister as much my parents and sister as Mum, Dad and Ginny are."

"Thank you, Ron, Padma," John Granger said. "_Never let them go, sweetheart…_"

"_I won't, Daddy dear, trust me!_"

Harry slipped his head beneath the waves virtually the instant the Gillyweed began to kick in. It felt odd breathing through gills and not his nostrils.

Millie swam up beside him. _Let's go and join up with our pod, Harry. Merlin! I feel like I belong down here beneath the waves. It is so beautiful down here…_

_You are more beautiful by far, darling! All my seven sea nymphs are!_

_You are really getting the hang of flattery, Harry!_

_Don't tease him, Trace! I find it sweet!_

_I do too, Parv! Our soulmate compares us favourably to a part-Veela yesterday and calls us sea nymphs today. What girl doesn't appreciate that?!_

_Oui! Notre jeune homme est un joyau!_

_Sorry, Weds?!_

_She said that you are a jewel, Harry. I agree with her!_

_Thanks, Pans. All you young ladies are priceless gemstones as well. How did I get so lucky?!_

_Ah, our new pod members have returned. You are always welcome here._

_Thank you for your kind welcome, lady matriarch._

The pod swam up to greet them. For the next few minutes, if anyone could eavesdrop on the bond, all they would hear was joyful chatter.

"Well, Hermione dear," John said, hugging his daughter tightly, "your Mum and I are returning home to get changed for tonight's party. See you all in three hours' time."

"Look after my little girl, my dears," Jean said, embracing first Ron and then Padma. "See you soon, darling." She kissed her daughter goodbye before joining her husband in returning home through the portal.

"We need to get changed too," Padma noted. "Back to the tent?

"You have great parents, Hermione."

"We all do," Ron noted. He offered an arm to each of his soulmates.

"Thank you, kind sir," Hermione said with a giggle, as she and Padma took the proffered arms.

"Parvati," Harry said, "as my first soulmate, I intend to give you the traditional kiss at midnight. Is that alright with you?"

"Of course, darling! You never have to worry about me not being willing to kiss you! I am sure that our six other soulmates can pair off for their own kisses."

"As long as we get our kisses from both of you soon afterwards, we don't mind," Daphne chuckled. "I want a kiss from all seven of you in short order!"

"_Je veux la même chose, ma copine._"

"For non-Francophones, Weds says she wants the same," Pansy translated. "As do I, come to that!"

It seemed that all eight were unanimous on that score.

"We have been invited to a New Year's Eve party on Potter Island," Rex Milligan told a meeting of the British and American former young adventurer community. This was taking place at the Nancy Drew Leisure Centre in River Heights, in which Nancy herself was a sleeping partner. This was a full meeting with most of the community present. Everyone from the Swifts to the Secret Seven, Cherry Ames to the Swallows and Amazons and the Bob-Whites of the Glen to the Baker Street Irregulars were all present and correct. "I am going. Who else plans to join me in making an approach to the young mage community?"

"Frank, Ned and I have a prior engagement," Nancy told him, running her hand through her Titian hair. "I take it that the Danas are going?" Louise and Jean nodded. "In which case, how about Joe, Iola, Doris and Evelyn? I am sure that you won't say no to getting the gang back together, Louise, Jean."

Doris Harland, a charming blonde, and Evelyn Starr, a bashful brunette, had been Louise and Jean's best friends since their days at Starhurst School for Girls. They had got together with Joe Hardy, the fair-haired younger Hardy brother and his dark-haired pixie-faced wife Iola Hardy nee Morton about ten years previously.

"We'll go, Nancy," Joe agreed.

"Spending a few hours with our dearest friends is always welcome," Evelyn said. "Possibly longer, if we are to become effectively ambassadors to the wizards and witches."

"I doubt that something so formal would be required," Jon Warrender noted. "Since the heyday of the witch-hunts in the Seventeenth Century, the mages have felt it prudent to hide from non-magical people, whom British wizards call "Muggles" and the American ones "No-Majs". In 1689, their main international bodies, the International Confederation of Wizards and the White Council, signed into effect the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. This was fully established as law in 1692. As a result, only non-magical people who have mages born into their immediate families can know about the existence of magic.

"At the moment, we have permission from semi-ascended beings belonging to the Greek Pantheon and a group of powerful aliens worshipped as the Norse gods and goddesses to know of the existence of witches and wizards. I am unaware of how far, if at all, the wizard authorities are aware of this. I doubt that they have approved it formally. For the moment, I suggest that we continue to liaise with mages via Potter Island."

"Well," the dark-haired elder Hardy brother Frank observed, "shall we largely keep it to the Bureau, the Three Investigators, the Danas, Mystery Inc and Joe, Iola, Doris and Evelyn?"

"I agree, Frank," George Kirrin replied. "That said, there might be some legal issues in the British non-magical world we could assist with. David, you are a solicitor. Would you and Peter like to join us?"

The tall pleasant-looking David Morton has somewhat untidy fair-to-brown hair and is the Captain of the Lone Pine Club, the group of no-longer young sleuths of which Jon and Penny are proud members. His wife Petronella "Peter" Morton nee Sterling, the club's Vice-Captain, is tall and blonde with clear brown skin and piercing blue eyes. Both lived in Peter's native Shropshire, where David is a solicitor and Peter runs library stables. Sally, Peter's Welsh pony, was kept young by the Royal Jelly Honey. Their three children were now in their late teens and early twenties.

"Actually, one of those weird wizard tents has a hippogriff in front of it," Rex remembered. "As per the myth, it is sort of a hybrid between an eagle and a horse. Linda, Bob, would you like to join us?"

Linda and Bob Craig are possibly the least similar siblings on the face of the planet. Bob, the elder by a couple of years, is tall, slim, sandy-haired, pale-skinned and freckled, reflecting their father's Scottish heritage. Linda is also tall and slender, but with raven-black hair, dark eyes and olive-skin, their mother's Hispanic blood very much evident. They live at the _Rancho del Sol_ in the Southern Californian desert with Linda's golden palomino Chica d'Oro (also kept young by the Royal Jelly). Bob is a top mechanic and Linda a noted horse-trainer, as well as being former young adventurers.

"_Si!_ I might even get to ride it!" Linda is irrepressible! "Wouldn't that be neat?!"

"I might join you," Peter agreed. "A horse that flies! You don't find them in Shropshire!"

"I must ask Luna whether or not Shrewsbury or Telford have wizard quarters," Jigger mused.

"On a more serious note, thank you for the extra manpower. If we can create a liaison with the mages, it might allow us to help their community establish closer links with the other non-mundane groups, such as the mutants and the resident extra-terrestrials."

"There is also the new so-called meta-human community," Nancy noted. "We live in a much stranger world these days."

"Yes, because perpetually young people who have been solving art and jewel thefts practically since infancy is perfectly normal…"

"_The usual Milligan sarcasm is in full flow!_ I take your point, though, Rex.

"Now, Frank, Ned and I need to get ready for the River Heights' New Year Ball. Keep us informed of your progress with your new friends. Hopefully, we can be of service to them.

"I formally declare this meeting closed! Happy New Year, everyone!"

"Have you got a training regimen in mind for our new friends, Diana?"

"Sort of, Thor. We need to begin with physical fitness, before moving quickly to training with sword and shield.

"Jason says that he is speaking to Giovanni Zatara and the Ancient One about magical training. Your mother and brother could also assist with that, Thor. Hecate has promised to join in already."

"I shall return to Asgard after tonight's festivities. Mother and Loki would be honoured to assist our old battle sisters on Themyscira in training a new generation of battle mages.

"Hopefully, that foul abomination Riddle will go to Helheim for aye this time, Princess."

"I hope so too, Prince. _I hope so too…_"

"Have you thought about taking on a new apprentice?" Jason Blood asked the Ancient One.

"I foresee a new one being chosen soon, Sir Jason. A top neurosurgeon is to lose the use of his hands in a car accident. In due course, he shall change from an obnoxious cocksure American surgeon into a noble Sorcerer Supreme.

"Until then, there are other matters at hand. I am grateful for the opportunity to instruct the young British witches and wizards magic that they never teach at that school of theirs."

"Hogwarts is hardly a substandard school, old friend. Albus Dumbledore may be a flawed individual, but he is a fine teacher and at heart a good man."

"I do not doubt it. We have both lived for generations and seen times of great magic come and go. For all Dumbledore's brilliance, he hasn't plumbed the depths of magic that we have.

"Defeating Riddle requires magic that _he knows not._ Whilst Dumbledore is right about it being _Love_, there is more to _Love_ than he, or indeed Lily Potter, ever could imagine…"

Rex led his party through the portal shortly before the parents, relatives and guardians were due to arrive. After he, Jigger, George, Jon, Penny, the Three Investigators and Mystery Inc had greeted their wizard friends warmly, they introduced the mages to Joe, Iola, Doris, Evelyn, David, Peter, Linda and Bob. "We thought that two of the finest horsewomen in our community would like the opportunity to meet your hippogriff," Rex said with a smile.

"Buckbeak?" Harry asked. "As long as you bow to him whilst remaining steady eye contact, he will be happy to let you stroke and even ride him."

"I'll give it a go!" Linda Craig approached Buckbeak slowly, before curtseying like a Princess of Spain. The hippogriff gave a low nod of the head, before allowing her to stroke him. She clambered on his back and they set off for a trot. "_Esto es divertido!_" she cried as Buckbeak took to the skies.

"I didn't think a No-Maj would be able to fly a hippogriff, _mes amis_," Wednesday observed. "That woman must be really special!"

"There is nothing that Linda Craig can't do with a horse!" Jigger replied. "She has an almost telepathic communication with her golden palomino Chica d'Oro. According to her, it is their shared Spanish blood…"

"I don't think that hippogriffs are Spanish," Luna speculated. "I think that they were of Classical stock, although they spread to France by the time of Roland.

"Perhaps Buckbeak himself is of Spanish birth?"

"Well, Peter is a fine horsewoman too," Rex commented, "and her Sally is a Welsh pony. We can see if she can achieve lift-off too.

"_Fossilised Fishhooks!_ I can't believe I am seeing someone fly a hippogriff! We must all be stark raving crackers!"

"I won't pretend to understand that, Rex. It must be the Wrackspurts."

Rex wisely didn't respond. It turned out that Peter was indeed able to persuade Buckbeak to let her take a ride into the sky. Louise and Jean, fine horsewomen in their own right, also gave succeeded in flying the hippogriff, as did the "animal whisperer" Jigger.

"Dad, this is David Morton," Daphne said to her father. "He has offered to look into the Muggle legal matters around Harry's guardianship for us."

"Thank you, Mr Morton," Giles Greengrass said, shaking David's hand. "I shall pay any fees in full. All I need to do is convert galleons into pounds and…"

"That won't be necessary, Mr Greengrass. The community that I belong to wants to establish informal friendly relations with the wizard world.

"Our world is changing. More and more empowered humans, costumed vigilantes and the like are appearing on the scene. The Six Goddesses and the other Powers That Be want us to act as your liaison to the new world.

"Not every, err, Muggle needs to know about you. The vast majority will continue to be ignorant of your existence. Ask the mutants if persecution by the ignorant is still very much alive! There are more opportunities, however, for our worlds to cooperate on matters which overlap, such as law and order, retrieval and safe storage of dangerous artefacts and so on.

"You want to remove a young person from an unsuitable home? I never charge for assisting with that anyway. We former young adventurers are loyal, brave and honourable, with an ethos based on being true to each other through thick and thin and never refusing to help a person in need."

"Thank you, Mr Morton. Please call me Giles."

"I will, as long as you call me David."

"_Men!_" Peter muttered. "I'm Peter Morton, David's wife," she told Sarah Greengrass.

"_Peter?!_"

"My first name is Petronella. I've always preferred to be called Peter or Pete."

"I'm Sarah, Giles' better half.

"I thought that only noble wizards could ride hippogriffs. How did you do it?"

"I have been riding horses and ponies since childhood and now run livery stables. Once you establish a bond with either, riding them is easy. Other than approaching in a more respectful manner, it seems that it is the same with hippogriffs."

There was a distinctive whining and groaning sound. What appeared to be a blue police box from the 1950s or 60s seemed to fade in and out of existence, the blue light on the roof flashing. After a few seconds, the box solidified, the light stopped, and the noise ceased. The Doctor emerged. After that, a rushing wind seemed to come out of nowhere and Mary Poppins flew down from the heavens, an open umbrella in one hand and a carpet bag in the other. She landed next to the TARDIS and greeted the Doctor warmly.

"It is always good to see you, Doctor," Rex said with a smile. "You must be Mary Poppins, the Flying Nanny of Cherry Tree Lane. You must be another of these mysterious Powers That Be, I take it. Good to meet you regardless."

"I am, Mr Milligan, on both accounts. It is a pleasure to meet you too.

"The Six Goddesses invited us to this evening's soiree."

"We did, Mary Poppins," said Aphrodite with a smile. "Welcome to Potter Island!

"Now, I am sure that Mr Milligan here wants to be kissing the elder Ms Dana at midnight…"

Jean Dana started crying. "Whatever is the matter, Sis?!" Louise asked.

"This may sound selfish, but you have Rex and Evelyn and Doris have each other, Joe and Iola."

"Your soulmate is a Miss Craig. You could kiss her at midnight if you want."

"You can kiss me _now, mi amor!_"

Jean pulled Linda in for a long kiss. "_I love you too, Linda my darling!_"

"_Te adoro, Jean Dana!_"

After a buffet dinner, there was dancing late into the night. At midnight, Harry pulled Parvati in for their kiss. He saw that Millie was kissing Wednesday, Pansy Ginny and Daphne Tracey. Elsewhere, there was kissing, cheering, laughing and fireworks.

"Happy New Year, Parvati!" Harry said, after their lips had finally parted.

"Happy New Year, Harry! Welcome to the first year of your new life!"

"I couldn't be happier, darling!"


	8. Chapter 8: Training Begins

"Thank you for recording the New Years' Day Concert from Vienna for us," Hermione told her parents, having come through the portal to their house the following afternoon. "It isn't the New Year until you have clapped along to the Radetzky March!"

"Yes, in the same way that it isn't Christmas until that year's solo treble has opened "Once in Royal David's City" at the start of _Carols from King's_ on Christmas Eve afternoon," her father noted.

"This year will be slightly different, Dad. I have a couple of partners to trip the waltzes, polkas and so on with.

"Fancy improvising a few three-way dances, Ron, Pads?!"

"_I'm in, Hermione! _What about you, Ron?"

"As long as we get to experiment with three-way kisses, sure!"

"Thank you, both." With that, Hermione started the Video Cassette Recorder and the strains of the Eurovision Broadcasting Union fanfare came over the television speakers. Within minutes, Hermione was leading her soulmates in an improvised waltz. _I love you both so much…_

_We love you too, darling!_

"My Lady Athena?" Harry asked. "Please can you open a portal to Hogwarts please? I need to speak to Professor Dumbledore about using the lake for swimming practice. We want to know what effect cold freshwater has on the Gillyweed dosage.

"In addition, do we need to include magical tracking methods? If one of my girls is to be at the bottom of a deep Scottish loch in February, I want to be able to find her quickly. Can anybody teach me some please?"

"Jason Blood is responsible for organising your magical training, my friend. He, Giovanni Zatara and the Ancient One should be able to advise you.

"As for Headmaster Dumbledore, the Hogwarts staff cannot assist you directly. I am sure that they would agree to the New Olympus Academy of Magic having access to their loch, however, for _research purposes._ If it is open to all our students and not just you, then it isn't _exactly_ assisting a Hogwarts' champion in the Tournament…

"_What idiot thinks that an event taking place at the bottom of a dark peaty loch in Scotland in February is a good idea anyway?!_ Whilst a good scrying-glass could allow the judges to see what is going on, I cannot imagine that they have one big enough to allow the three student bodies to see anything more than a few inches below the surface."

"Hermione often tells me that wizards have little common sense! Once they came up with something that the Champions _could_ do, it would probably never occur to them that it would be as dull as ditch water for the spectators. If the Judges ask for feedback, I'll suggest something more easily visible for the next Tournament…"

"When you have the _powers of the gods_, Harry Potter, sometimes it is too easy to forget that mere mortals are not so blessed. Highly capable experienced mages rarely make allowances for those still to develop their full magical potential, as you say.

"It is good for Diana that I see a man dressed as a bat becoming a good friend of hers in a few years. He shall remind her that being non-powered doesn't make you any less formidable."

"Mr Lupin, Ms Tonks, I was wondering if you would be willing to address a meeting of our community at the Nancy Drew Leisure Centre," Rex said to Remus and Tonks the following morning. "We have one scheduled to take place a week on Saturday.

"This could allow us to identify ways of approaching the American wizard community, whatever they are called…"

"Gomez Addams knows the current President of the Magical Congress of the United States of America, Mr Milligan," Remus told him. "The locals call it MACUSA." He pronounced it "Mac-Uh-Sah".

"Thank you, Mr Lupin," Louise responded, arm-in-arm with her soulmate. "I'll speak to his children over the next couple of days."

"I agree, darling. Actually… _Jason!_"

The familiar form of Jason Blood had been walking past, talking to Diana and Thor about the training that was to start in a couple of days. "What is it, Rex," he asked.

"Jason, could you approach the British and American wizard governments for authority to liaise with them…"

"I could. Given that I am currently listed as _'Do not anger at all costs'_ by the White Council, what I say is taken seriously by them.

"I believe only myself, Madame Xanadu, Giovanni Zatara, Dr Fate, the Ancient One and a witch named Endora currently have that status. Now, she is one woman that I would never willingly cross. She is even older than me and doesn't fear _my associate…_"

"How old are you?" Tonks asked. "I take it that is older than the thirty or so that you look…"

"I fought at Badon as a Knight of the Round Table, Ms Tonks."

"_That took place in approximately AD 500!_" Remus gasped. "You must be over 1500 years old even if you were in your teens at the time of the battle.

"What _elixir vitae_ do you use?"

"I have no need of potions or alchemy, Mr Lupin. Ever since that thrice-accursed false Myrddin bound me to his half-brother…"

"_Sorry?!_"

"_Gone! Gone! The form of man!_

_Arise the Demon __**Etrigan!**_"

As Jason spoke, he was enveloped in fire, his voice deepened, and his form changed. When the fire cleared, the tall scholar had been replaced by the hulking form of the yellow demon.

"_My half-brother was a mighty mage,_

_That worked his wonders at fair Camelot._

_Sir Jason was a great knight and sage,_

_That was about to expose his foul plot._

_That succubus then summoned me,_

_And knight and monster he made as one._

_So now immortal are both I and he,_

_Unless the binding magic can be undone._

_Gone now, O Etrigan!_

_And rise once more the form of man!_"

With those last two lines, Etrigan was bathed in flames, which cleared to reveal Jason Blood was in his place.

"After I was bound to Etrigan, I acquired the nickname Sir Jason o' the Blood, because I brought death and disaster wherever I went. With the passing of the centuries, I took the name I now bear.

"As a sorcerer of some power in my own right, I occasionally get involved with wizards. Usually, I end up having to summon Etrigan to deal with Dark Mages. The wizard authorities decided eventually to decree that I should be handled with kid gloves!"

"I can see why!" Tonks noted with a grin. "As a trainee Auror, I wouldn't want to face him either.

"Still, I would like to see the Dark Lord versus Etrigan someday…"

Harry was once again enjoying an underwater swim with his soulmates and their new pod. Dolphins are a highly sociable species and loved the attention the eight "honorary dolphins" were giving them.

_Honoured Matriarch, how would you approach a hunt in the darks of a peaty Scottish Loch?_

_Since the lake in question is freshwater, I wouldn't be of much use. That said, a friendly giant squid tells me that you need to let your eyes accustom themselves to the gloom. You are a wizard. Could you use magic to light your way?_

_I must learn silent casting, as I may need my wand for light, direction and defence. Thank you for the advice. Hopefully, one of our tutors can help me learn._

_No thanks are needed, Harry. All members of my pod are entitled to my guidance and support._

_Fate seems determined to give me the largest family ever!_

_Don't complain about it, Harry! After the Dursleys, you deserve this._

_Thanks, Gin._

_No problem, darling! You can reward me with a kiss later._

_Gladly, my love!_

_The Gillyweed must be wearing off soon. See you tomorrow, my friends!_

_Happy swimming, all of you._

_Thanks, Daffy. Until tomorrow, ladies._

_May your waters be full of fish, Harry._

"Finally!" Neville exclaimed; his greenhouses completed. Lavender, Hannah and Susan applauded his efforts.

"We should be ready now for when our lessons start in a couple of days," Susan noted. "Do you know who our Herbology teacher is to be, Nev?"

"Princess Diana mentioned some chap named Alec Holland," Neville said. "He is a _champion of the Green_, whatever that means. It must make him good with plants though…"

"That makes sense," Hannah agreed. "Now, that everything is finished to your satisfaction, Nev, can we _please_ get back to topping up our tans?!"

"Of course, Han darling…"

Hermione snuggled up in her bed that night. "Our lessons are to start in a couple of days, darlings."

"I'm looking forward to it, dearest," Padma replied.

"As am I. We all know that you are, Hermione!"

"_How did you guess, Ron?!_"

"Well, the courses should be interesting. In addition to the usual Hogwarts' subjects, we also need to learn how to fight with swords and shields."

"Not to mention how to use our various superpowers, Pads!"

"Yes, Ron. I am sure that there are better uses for telepathy than telling you and Hermione how great I think your respective bums are!"

Hermione chuckled. "I am sure that you are right, Pads. Not that I shall get tired of hearing you tell me that!

"It is getting late, my dears. Goodnight."

Her soulmates responded in kind and soon after all three were asleep.

On the morning of the following Monday, the young mages assembled by the greenhouses. What appeared at first to be a large growth of shrubbery suddenly rose up, revealing a human form. The _whatever it was _strode up to the wizards. "Greetings. I am Alec Holland, also known as Swamp Thing. I am the soul of a murdered professor and ecologist implanted in plant matter as the current Protector of the Green.

"Jason asked me if I could teach you Herbology. Whilst I am not a wizard, I am a magical being in my new form. I can also communicate with and gain assistance from all plants."

"Alec is an old friend," Jason said, walking out from behind a greenhouse with Diana and Thor. "His knowledge of plants, magical or otherwise, is unparalleled, as you can imagine.

"As wizards, I take it that his _unusual appearance _won't be that much of an issue?!"

"No, it won't," Neville responded. "I am pleased to meet you, Professor Holland."

"Likewise, Mr Longbottom. I see that you have a Heart for the Green. Such Hearts are sadly all too rare these days.

"You have done a marvellous job with these greenhouses. I am most impressed and look forward to working with you."

"Thank you, Alec," Jason said. As he spoke, a tall brunette who seemed unused to using her eyes and a tall bald vaguely oriental-looking person whose gender was hard to tell Apparated in. "Ah, my young friends, meet Madame Xanadu and the Ancient One. Madame Xanadu will be tutoring you all in Runes and Prognostication, whilst the Ancient One shall be teaching you Meditation and Astral Projection."

"Err, not all of us are taking Runes or Divination," Hermione pointed out. "The latter is only really of any relevance for those with _The Sight_ anyway. As for the other subjects, Hogwarts doesn't even offer them!

"I know that all knowledge and skills are worth acquiring, but we need _OWLs _and _NEWTs_. Without them, it could be difficult finding employment in later life."

"Miss Granger," the Ancient One said in slow cultured tones, "we appreciate your concerns. Our main aim is to make you into a force capable of surviving against and overcoming the self-styled _Dark Lord Voldemort_ and his so-called _Death Eaters_. If you are dead, job-hunting would not be an issue!

"You should be able to pass any Wizard exams easily after your education here is complete. As for your career prospects, defeating the most notorious Dark Mage in centuries must be an impressive achievement to have on your _Curriculum Vitae_."

"It won't be easy persuading the Conservative Pureblood elite of wizard Britain that you are anything other than a _jumped-up mudblood_ in any event, Hermione," Remus Lupin pointed out, walking up with Sirius and Tonks. "As a werewolf, I can tell you that overcoming prejudice is _not _easy. That said, you have the determination to succeed despite their sneers and you have talent enough to impress even the most bigoted of them."

At that moment, two other individuals appeared. Both were tall and dressed in the manner of a stage magician. Beneath the top hat, dinner jacket and tails of the taller, however, were trousers, whilst the smaller was in fishnet tights and high heels. She was also pale skinned with raven hair and looked to be about Harry's age. The man was swarthier, bore an Italianate moustache and seemed to be her father.

"Everyone," Jason announced, "meet Giovanni Zatara and his daughter Zatanna. Giovanni is to teach you Charms and Transfiguration, whilst I shall teach you Defence Against the Dark Arts. Diana, Thor and I shall train you in fitness and non-magical combat. The Doctor shall take your Astronomy lessons, the Addamses' grandmother shall be your instructress in Potions and Mary Poppins will teach you Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures. By the end of your time here, you should be formidable even outside of your superpowered alter egos.

"In the meantime," Jason finished, wordlessly transfiguring their clothing into tracksuits, "Diana is now about to take you for a gentle jog around Potter Island…"

"Mr Blood's definition of a _gentle jog_ is clearly different from mine!" Hermione grumbled. "I feel as if I have just run a marathon!"

"May I call you Hermione?" Diana asked her. At Hermione's nod of acquiescence, she went on. "The best way to not get hit by a curse is to dodge it completely.

"You girls can deflect curses with your bracelets as Furies, as can all of you block them with your shields once transformed. The superspeed from your magic belts makes that easy enough. In a magical duel without any superpower save your natural magic, however, physical fitness can give you all an edge. If you can dodge spells and wear out your opponent by forcing them to move about whilst casting, it could save your life.

"I can sense that you are a scholar rather than a fighter, Hermione. There is no shame in that, but you need to learn how to defend yourself. You may never be a natural athlete by temperament, but you can and must work on improving your agility and stamina."

"Thank you, your Highness. I shall do my best."

"I can ask no more than that, Hermione.

"You can all address me by my given name. Remember, I am here as your teacher and mentor, not as the heiress to the throne of Themyscira."

"Then thank you, Diana. I do hope that we have time for showers before our classes start…"

"For the first week or two, we shall be working on your fitness, Miss Granger," Thor boomed. "I would recommend that you have a shower and do some swimming in the afternoon. We shall continue with your running tomorrow and hopefully have you stretching by the end of the week.

"See you tomorrow. Until then, fare thee well!"

"Back to our tents, everyone," Harry offered.

"That was intense," Hermione noted to her fellow members of the _Potter Island Book Club_ over a pot of tea in the library tent's reading room that evening. "We shall all be fit at the end of our training though!"

As Padma gave Hermione a quick peck on the lips, Pansy chuckled. "Well, our soulmates' bums look _good _in those tight tracksuit bottoms. That is one thing to look forward to tomorrow.

"I also felt that I had earned my time swimming and sunbathing this afternoon, Hermione. That said, I was quite frankly too tired to do anything else…"

"Mr Blood said something about getting what he called an _Ice Bath_ set up," Hannah offered, "_whatever that might be…_"

"As the name implies, it is a tub of freezing cold water. Athletes soak in one to soothe their muscles and sinews after training or competing."

"Thank you, Hermione darling. I can understand the need for one of those. Right now, muscles that I never knew that I had are aching!"

Somehow, the young mages managed to get through the week. By the Thursday, a tent with an Ice Bath and some manual weight machines, treadmills and exercise bikes had been set up on the island. Diana and Thor had the young wizards do stretching exercises to warm up for their runs and then take Ice Baths afterwards. They were hopefully going to be starting with the machines the following week.

"That was brutal, but I feel all the better for it," Harry told Millie as they relaxed exhausted together in a hammock on the Friday evening. "I already feel much stronger than I was before Monday. I must suggest fitness training before Quidditch practice!

"In the meantime, fancy another swim, Millie darling?"

"_No thank you, Harry!_ After this week, I just want to lie back and top up my tan in this bikini…"


	9. Chapter 9: Meeting the Detectives

Luna and Astoria were taking a quiet stroll along the beach the following morning. Ginny, Harry and Daphne were enjoying a gentle jog nearby. The sisters stopped for a quick chat, with the other three quickly joining in. Both the Slytherins and the Ravenclaw had a touch of the Gryffindor in them, whilst Harry and Ginny both had the cunning and guile of a Slytherin as well as the devil-may-care attitude of their own house.

"Being in love really suits you, Sis!" Astoria gushed.

"_I think that being here amongst friends and loved ones suits you too, Tori!_ That said, I don't think that I have ever been happier, my dear.

"Perhaps we could have another _Al Fresco_ dinner party for our families and instructors? Parvati and Harry love their cooking! I am sure that they would be happy to prepare some exquisite meal for us."

"How about a barbecue?" Harry suggested. "That is basically grilling meat over an open fire outdoors, sometimes with jacket potatoes and corn on the cob. Serve it with salad, coleslaw and spicy sauces and you have a filling meal. If the rest of you can do the salads, Parvati and I can flame-grill the burgers and sausages.

"Since Parv's Hindi, maybe we should use pork or lamb for the burgers rather than beef. Probably the latter, as pork and poultry are best precooked in an oven and merely lightly charred on the barbecue grill."

_Pugsley and I can cook a mean barbecue, Harry love._

_Thanks, Weds darling. Can your Dad buy a barbecue for us for next weekend?_

_Sure, Harry! How about a modern large gas one with a few large gas cannisters? You don't get the full charcoal smoke taste or smell, but a good Barbecue Sauce can make up for that…_

_Thanks, Weds. I'm already drooling!_

_Don't forget to snog us if we help you, Weds!_

_I won't, Parv. As if I ever need to be reminded to kiss my True Loves…_

"What do you think about a barbecue next weekend, Tori, Luna?"

"That sounds lovely, Harry. It should scare off the Wrackspurts!"

By now, all five of her friends had learned not to seek further clarification of a random Luna remark…

"Welcome to River Heights!" Nancy Drew exclaimed as Rex and the Danas led Remus and Tonks out from the portal. "I am Nancy Drew; this is my husband Ned Nickerson, and this is our mutual boyfriend Frank Hardy."

"I wouldn't have thought that American Muggles would be so open about such things," Tonks noted.

"We call non-magical humans No-Majs in the States, my dear," said Gomez Addams, arriving with his wife on his arm through another portal. The Six Goddesses had installed the portals to and from River Heights in a private area of the Nancy Drew Leisure Centre, reserved for the personal use of Nancy, her family and friends.

"We are generally discrete," Ned told her, "although anyone with eyes can see that at least two of our six children are Frank's biologically. Certainly, Nancy's biographers, all of them using the penname of Carolyn Keene, were advised strongly by their publishers to use one or the other of me and Frank as Nancy's sole love interest. You just cannot depict two _All-American Jocks _as bisexual…"

"That doesn't stop those _odious oiks_ depicting Nancy as effectively double-timing the pair of you," Rex pointed out with a scowl. "_How ungentlemanly can you get?!_"

"Thank you, Rex," Nancy replied with a smile. "Being effectively branded a _slut_ isn't nice. Still, I am willing to make that sacrifice for the loves of my life. My reputation can survive it. Theirs are unlikely to survive the _Truth…_

"The three of us are in love. I can bear anything with Ned and Frank beside me."

"Or _inside you…_"

"_Tonks!_" hissed a mortified Remus. "Do you wish to make a bad impression on our hosts?!

"This is Nymphadora Tonks. I am Remus Lupin. Before we go any further, I must tell you that I am a werewolf."

"That's nothing to be ashamed of," Morticia assured him. "My godson Eddie Munster is one too and he is a real sweetie.

"_Mes amis_, the White Council has given us permission to discuss the Wizard World with you. You are under no threat of having your memories altered. Signor Zatara, Mr Blood and the Ancient One, plus their friends, Dr Fate and Endora all supported it and that was enough for the Council to quickly and unanimously pass the motion, due apparently to a _healthy fear of hellfire_. A young protegee of the Council, a very tall man from Chicago in his twenties, has been assigned as a Council envoy to Potter Island as a precondition of their continued support on the other hand. He should be visiting the island in a few days.

"Gomez, _mon amour_, I believe it is nearly time for us to enter. It should be a fascinating meeting…"

"Of course, my little chickadee! By the way, Ms Drew, are you related to the late great lawyer Carson Drew? You have his profile, as well as his surname."

"Yes, Mr Addams. I'm his daughter."

"I was mentored by a younger former colleague of his when I first practised. It is good to meet you, my dear."

"_Gomez, mon amour…_"

"Coming, _mi amor!_" Gomez offered his arm to his wife, which she accepted with a sultry smile.

"Ah, _True Love!_" Tonks sighed wistfully. "Maybe it will come to me sometime. Come on, Remus!" As she said this, she gave Remus a significant glance, which he didn't notice, but the Danas did and sighed happily.

Nancy, Ned and Frank led the party to what was the main hall. Usually, it was used for badminton or gymnastics, but it doubled as a conference venue. Several rows of chairs were filled by a good couple of hundred youthful-looking men and women.

"Everyone," said Frank in a voice and attitude indicative of a natural commander, "please welcome Gomez and Morticia Addams, Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin warmly. They represent the White Council, an international body of wizards and witches.

"Six ascended beings who were once worshipped as the Greek Goddesses Hera, Athena, Aphrodite, Artemis, Hestia and Hecate chose the Paranormal Investigations Bureau, Mystery Inc, the Three Investigators and the Danas to befriend a group of young witches and wizards. Joe, Iola, Evelyn, Doris, David and Peter Morton and the Craigs have since been introduced to them. Gomez and Morticia are the parents of two of the magical children and Remus and Nymphadora…"

"_It's Tonks! Don't call me that bloody stupid name!_"

"_Remus and Tonks _are two mages acting as mentors to the teenage ones. Please make all four of our guests welcome with a round of applause." The assembled crowd did so with relish.

"Thank you for the warm welcome, Mr Hardy," Gomez replied. "I look forward to being introduced to you all individually in due course."

"We can, however, ask some of our community leaders to come up," Jean Dana suggested. "I think you should meet Trixie Frayne, Julian Kirrin and Dan Robinson at least, since you already familiar with Louise, Nancy, Frank, Jupiter and David." As she spoke, three figures stood up. One was a short sturdy woman with round blue eyes and sandy blonde hair, the second was a tall dark-haired man and the third was another tall dark-haired man, albeit slender rather than muscular in build.

"Sure thing, Jean," the woman replied, with an accent from the Hudson Valley. "I'm Beatrix Frayne, co-president of the Bob-Whites of the Glen. Calls me Trixie. Everyone does."

The more muscular of the men introduced himself as George Kirrin's paternal cousin Julian, leader of the Famous Five and the other as Dan Robinson, leader of the Baker Street Irregulars. "I got the idea from my great-grandfather Sherlock Holmes," he told the bemused wizards. "Not that at that point I knew that he was my great-grandfather or even real."

"The Baker Street Irregulars were his group of street urchins, right?" Remus remembered. "A great idea, as nobody notices children and teenagers hanging around the streets outside of school hours."

"_Exactly!_" Dan agreed.

"Thanks to his development of the Royal Jelly Honey, my great-grandad is still fit and active, despite having just turned 143! Hopefully, you shall get to meet him someday."

"After that week from hell," Hermione complained, "I have never felt happier for a weekend."

"Me too!" Padma agreed. "All that running around was _exhausting!_

"What do you think, Ron?"

"Well, if it makes us fitter and healthier, that's a good thing, Pads. I certainly feel faster and stronger for it.

"That said, I want a swim." He pulled himself off his sun lounger and headed down the beach to the sea. "Coming, my loves?!"

"Actually, I could do with a dip in this heat," Padma noted, adjusting the strap on her bikini top. "What about you, Hermione darling?"

"I'll come, Pads. A gentle swim I can cope with. If either you or Ron suggest we run a lap of the island, however, _prepare to be hexed!_"

"So, Mr Lupin," Trixie began, "I would like to introduce you to some of my fellow Bob-Whites of the Glen. This is my husband and co-president Jim Frayne. Also, this is my elder brother Brian Belden and his wife Madelaine. We call her Honey and she's my bestie.

"Honey, Jim and I run the Belden-Frayne-Wheeler Detective Agency together. Brian's a doctor. We still live in my hometown of Sleepyside-on-Hudson with our kids."

Remus looked at the other three Bob-Whites. Jim had red hair, green eyes and the air of an equestrian. Honey had shoulder-length golden-brown hair, large hazel eyes and the shoulders of a swimmer and her husband Brian was a dark, handsome man with a calm manner. _You can tell that he's a doctor or a healer…_

"Our job is basically keeping Trixie out of trouble," Brian told Remus with a smile.

"That's for sure!" Honey agreed. "Half my life is spent trying to sooth the feelings of those insulted by Trixie's tendency to jump to conclusions and accuse without evidence."

"_Hey!_" Jim protested. "Whilst Trixie _can_ be impulsive, she always gets it right in the end. How many times has she come through for the rest of us Bob-Whites in the past?

"We wouldn't even _have _a Bob-Whites Club without her thirst for adventure and outdoor pursuits. I think that we owe her a great deal."

"All of that is true. Both Honey and I love her dearly. We tease those that we love, after all."

"They are a lively bunch, those Bob-Whites!" Julian Kirrin told Remus with a grin. "If Trixie is one of the leaders, that is guaranteed!

"You know my cousin George. This is my younger brother Dick and his wife Jo and our younger sister Anne and her husband Peter. Peter, his sister Janet and her husband Jack are the leaders of the Secret Seven Society…"

"Or the Secret Seven for short," Janet added with a smile. "Our badges say "S.S." after all."

"I keep telling you how unfortunate that acronym is," George sighed.

"Do we look like genocidal madmen to you?!" Peter snapped.

"Neither did many of the other "S.S.", my darling," Anne told him, with an air of resignation. "George has a point, Pete, as you well know."

"With the benefit of hindsight, it wasn't the best acronym to choose in post-war Britain," Jack added.

"You are right," Peter admitted with a sigh. "Why didn't I include Scamper? The Secret Eight and "SE" acronym would have been much better. I mean, when our George got banned from attending by his father, Scamper took his place temporarily anyway."

"_Scamper?!_"

"Scamper is our golden English Cocker Spaniel," Peter explained. "He is an honorary member…"

"Our George's Timothy has been officially one of the Famous Five from the very start," Dick commented airily.

"With Buster, Baskerville, Mackie and Brock, plus Jack Trent's parrot Kiki and Jigger Johnson's monkey Ranji, we British former young adventurers have quite the menagerie. Admittedly, the Americans have Captain Caveman, Dynomutt, Fangface and even Speed Buggy, but that's the Yanks for you!"

Remus nodded bemused. _What sort of an insect is Speed Buggy? Where did they find a caveman? Who calls a dog Dynomutt? What sort of animal is Fangface?_

The _Potter Island Book Club_ was perusing the muggle section of the library. Hermione was surprised to learn that Pansy and Millie had loved pretending to be Nancy and Peggy Blackett, the captain and crew of the _Amazon_. "We had a small sailing dinghy, that Millie would steer across the lake with the greatest of ease," Pansy told her. "There was a small island that we would land on, so we could play together.

"Unlike Draco with Crabbe and Goyle, I have always seen Millie as much my best friend as _my enforcer_. She and I are playmates, best friends and now girlfriends. I love her, Hermione, and deep down I think that I always have."

"As I now realise that I fell for Ron when he got injured on that chessboard back at the end of our first year, Pansy. I guess that I should have known that he was meant for me. Pads making three of us just makes it perfect!" Hermione pulled Padma in for a quick kiss.

"I know what you mean," Pansy agreed. "Us Slytherin girls were always close, but to fall in love with each other just ensures that we shall always be a family. To get three sexy Gryffindors and a gorgeous girl from Ilvermorny thrown in for good measure is _wonderful!_"

"Same here," Hannah agreed. "I grew up with Sue, Lav and Nev, so being effectively married to them all feels a natural development of our existing relationships.

"Now, I wonder which of Captain Hastings' reminiscences they have in stock…?"

"You all like muggle books," Hermione noticed. "There were never any in the Hogwarts library."

"That is a school library, Hermione darling," Padma told her. "Most of the books are reference ones or textbooks, so we can do further reading, particularly for assignments. This is as much for pleasure as for study.

"When _'The Tales of Beedle the Bard'_ is just about the only light reading in an entire library, you would not expect to see many muggle books other than for Muggle Studies essays. We didn't exactly cover the development of muggle detection or how muggle children entertained themselves in the 1930's."

"You are right, my love," Hermione said softly. "Well, we can discuss our favourite muggle histories and biographies over a pot of tea. I'll be mother!"

Harry, Ginny and Daphne had just returned from a swim with their dolphin pod when they met Luna and Astoria returning from their own swim. Hedwig was nearby enjoying a flight. Harry waved at his owl. _Can I do something for you today, Harry?_

_Sorry?_

_Great Athena! You can hear my thoughts?_

_Yes, Hedwig. I'm an honorary Asgardian now. I knew that allowed us to communicate telepathically with dolphins, but not owls. You didn't speak when I fed you yesterday. Did you?_

_I've been speaking to you for over three years, silly human! Is it my fault that you couldn't understand me?!_

_Merlin! I'm sorry, Hedwig. This telepathy is a new thing. We can talk now, though. Thank you for all that you have done for me._

_Don't mention it, Harry. I am glad that you are my pet wizard._

_Well, I am glad that you are my pet owl!_

_Cool! I wonder if our other animals can speak to us now._

_They should be able to, Ginger Mate of Harry. At least us owls can, but I can't speak Cat to converse with the felines. Perhaps you can act as our translators._

_I'm Ginger Mate of Harry now?! I like it!_

_That could get confusing when Trace is around, Gin._

_Well, Brunette Mate of Harry would be even more confusing, Daffy. There are five of you who count for that…_

_Can we get off this Mating idea, please?!_

_We will be your Mates in due course, Harry. Why not claim the titles now?_

_May you be granted many owlets, Harry!_

_Thanks Hedwig. I think…_

_This voices in the head thing will take some getting used to!_

_You are in the bond link too, Tori. Cool! We can chat all the time now. What about you, Luna?_

_Everyone is in my mind now, Ginny. How strange! I'll never be alone again though._

Once again, Luna found herself being drawn into a three-way hug by Ginny and Astoria. "No," Ginny said softly, "you won't."

"Not if we have anything to do with it!" Astoria agreed.

"We are all one big happy family on Potter Island," Harry added. "Welcome to the tribe, Luna!"

"It must be the Wrackspurts making my mind all fuzzy, because I am sure that I am not supposed to be crying happy tears…"

"Ah, Mr and Mrs Addams," Dan Robinson said with a smile, "permit me to introduce you to Liz Spencer, her husband Jeff Webster and Mickey Denning. They, along with my dog Baskerville, complete the Baker Street Irregulars."

"It is a pleasure to meet you both," Liz, a tall slender blonde, said politely. "I've never met genuine wizards before, Jason Blood apart. That said, I had heard of your work as a model, Mrs Addams, and of your husband's efforts as both a lawyer and an entrepreneur."

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintances too, _mes amis_. Thank you for your kind words.

"Ms Spencer, you didn't take your husband's surname…"

"Of course not! My mother would have disowned me if I had done anything so _symptomatic of our patriarchal oppressors…_"

"Liz is a fierce Women's Libber," the tall, stocky and fair-haired Jeff commented, "with the emphasis on the _fierce…_"

"Ignore my husband, Mr and Mrs Addams. _He is a male chauvinist pig!_"

"_Well, Little Miss Militant…!_"

"We should leave them both be," Mickey noted. He is short with close-cropped dark hair and large ears that stuck out like those of an elephant. During his schooldays, his classmates had jokingly named him "Mickey Mouse". "They'll be arguing for hours."

"No, Mickey," Dan corrected him. "This is them _flirting!_ Mr and Mrs Addams, this is the story of their relationship…"

"I see, my good man. Call us Gomez and Morticia."

"Then call us Dan, Mickey, Jeff and Liz."

"Hang on, Dan. _Why was my name last?!_"

"Sorry, Liz…"

"We met some useful people," Remus said that night, as he, Tonks, Gomez and Morticia reported back to the group on Potter Island. "A couple called John and Nancy Walker mentioned that they would teach you sailing, for example.

"Nancy was an odd one, I felt. She kept saying _"Ahoy!" _and _"Shiver my timbers!"_ Apparently, she liked stories of pirates and so renounced her given name of Ruth as pirates are…"

"_Ruthless!_" Millie cried. "Her maiden name wasn't Blackett, by any chance?"

"The captain of _The Amazon_ married the captain of _The Swallow_," Pansy noted. "How romantic! When are they coming?"

"_Mon pere,_" Wednesday asked, "can you buy us a gas-powered barbecue for next weekend please? We were thinking of having another social."

"Of course."

"_Merci beaucoup!_ Pugsley, you and I are going to show the others barbecuing the Addams way."

"Sure, Sis! It will be fun. Filling too!"


	10. Chapter 10: The Three Hostages

Harry and his seven soulmates were going for a quick jog along the beach the following morning. As they went past the greenhouses, they saw Neville was chatting to Swamp Thing. Lavender, Susan and Hannah were on nearby sun loungers, watching their soulmate affectionately. In the sky above, the Weasley twins and the Gryffindor chasers were happily tossing and catching a quaffle on their brooms.

"Hi, Harry, Gin," George called down. "Have you had any more thought to putting together a couple of Quidditch teams? We would like to get some matches in."

"Not much," Harry admitted. "I was thinking of waiting until the New Olympus Academy of Magic is fully up and running. After this week, we should be studying magical subjects again. Perhaps we could have a Potters and Longbottoms versus Weasleys match or something?"

"That makes sense. Ron can be our keeper. Gin, you are small enough to be a seeker…"

"I prefer being a chaser, Fred. Besides you are making a fundamental error."

"_What?!_"

"I'm effectively a Potter now, not a Weasley. Which team do you think I am playing for?"

"_Bloody hell!_ That means Padma or Hermione needs to be our seeker. Any thoughts, Angie?"

"_Merlin!_ Perhaps we should rethink this idea, Katie.

"What about your team, Harry? You have a seeker and a chaser. Who else?"

"Pansy and I can play as beaters," Millie offered. "Neville may not be the most confident flyer, but he should make a decent keeper. Daffy, you and Tori are both reasonable chasers…"

"Astoria's not a Potter, a Longbottom or a Weasley," Alicia pointed out. "She can't play!"

"Tori's the next best thing," Parvati snapped. "She is effectively Harry Potter's sister-in-law after all.

"Sue Bones has played chaser with Daffy before, if Tori's not acceptable to you. I have played keeper in friendly games at the Greengrass and Bones manors. By the way, Pads was our seeker. She's not as good as Harry, but she's perfectly decent in the position. Besides, Gin, Daffy and Sue or Tori don't have your experience at operating as a pack of chasers."

"Parvati's right," Katie agreed. "If we can get 160 or more in front before Harry catches the snitch, we win anyway. Besides, Padma might get lucky. Who knows?

"I just want to _play again_ in any case, Angie. This gives us a chance to get a couple of games in. We should take it."

"Of course," Angelina agreed. "I'll captain our team and Harry can captain his, if we are all agreed."

"Sure." Harry waved up at Angelina. "May the best team win."

"If I was chosen as a _Champion of the Green_, would I have to… How should I put this?!"

"_Become like me, young Neville?_" The anthropomorphic foliage gave a laugh, suggesting that he had taken no offence. "That come from being chosen as _The Champion of the Green_ after my dying body was dumped in a swamp.

"You already are _A Champion of the Green_, my friend. The plants in these greenhouses tell me that you look after them like they were your own children. You have a good heart, Neville. These plants and your soulmates have found a rare specimen in you."

"Thank you, Professor Holland."

Neville nodded at Swamp Thing and walked over to his soulmates, casting an appreciative gaze over their bikini-clad forms. "I'll go back to our tent, shower and put on my trunks to join you for a swim."

"Sure, Nev," said Susan, pulling him in for a quick kiss. "I'm looking forward to it. That is fun exercise, as opposed to running several times around the bloody island."

"All that running isn't fun, Sue," Lavender agreed. "I have, however, already lost a couple of pounds, despite eating rather more.

"When we have the best figures in wizard Britain, we will be glad of all that exercise."

"We also are more likely to all survive to be so recognised," Hannah agreed. "Given who your Aunt is, Sue…"

"I know, Han. _Staying safe is worth some effort!_ I accept that, but that doesn't make all that bloody exercise any easier."

"Perhaps we should start jogging for fun, as Harry and his girls do? That may make our bodies more acclimatised to this running business."

"Thanks, Lav," Neville said. "I don't like the idea any more than you do, Sue. We are, however, going to be kept exercising regularly for the foreseeable future I fancy."

"You are right," Sue sighed. "Not today, though, _please?_"

"Whatever our soulmate wants…"

Susan pulled Neville down on to her sun lounger and covered his lips with hers. _This soulmate wants to snog you senseless!_

_No objections here, love!_

"Mr Addams? I was asked to come here by the White Council…"

Gomez looked up at the visitor Lurch had just escorted in. He was a dark-haired man, about six feet and six inches in height and wearing a long greatcoat over a rather shabby suit. There was an eldritch power almost crackling in the air around him.

"Ah, you must be the White Council's agent? A Mr Denton…"

"Almost, Sir. My name is Harry Dresden. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise. So, Mr Dresden, what can I do for you?"

"Straight to the point, Mr Addams. I like that in a man. Whatever the _Red Book of Westmarch _might say, _this wizard isn't subtle!_

"I would like to meet the young mages on Potter Island as soon as possible. When would be a good time for them?"

"Well, my good man, there is to be a barbecue on Potter Island on Saturday evening. Would that suit you?

"I must warn you that the wards around Potter Island can cause serious harm to anyone who attempts entry intending to harm the young mages there."

"_As it should be!_ _Would _t_hat most wizard schools have such wards!_"

"Too true, Mr Dresden. Hogwarts' security seems as porous as a sieve! I guess that Dumbledore's reputation has given the staff and directors…"

"_Governors! The Brits have Boards of Governors at their schools, not Boards of Directors._

"That said, I think that you might well be right, Mr Addams. The old man might be past his prime, but I still wouldn't want to take him on. For all his faults, by all accounts he is a good man."

"That is what they say. Certainly, the Hogwarts' wizards speak well of him as a decent man, with an unfortunate tendency to see the best in those who don't deserve it."

"There are worse faults to have."

"True. Now, Mr Dresden…"

"Please call me Harry."

"Then, my good man, call me Gomez. Would you like to stay for dinner?"

"That would be most kind of you, Gomez."

"Don't mention it, Harry my boy. Ah, 'Tish darling, may I introduce you to Harry Dresden, agent of the White Council?"

"_Enchanted, mon vieux…_"

"Harry, _darling_, I suppose we should ask Mr Blood to begin training us on effective magical tracking methods when we begin our magical classes a week tomorrow? I mean, if one or more of us needs to be rescued from the Hogwarts' Lake…"

"Most likely you, Parvati, as my date for the Yule Ball," Harry noted. He hugged her tightly. "I shall do all in my power to retrieve any or all of you, you know that."

"Mr Blood?" Harry asked. "What do you know of magical tracking methods, particularly wordless ones?"

Jason thought for a moment. "Presumably for this Second Task? Do you know if your hostage is going to be conscious or not?"

"We haven't been notified."

"If she is conscious, you could always use the bond to ask her where she is. Otherwise, you could learn to cast wordlessly, or you could seek help from the giant squid and the merpeople telepathically.

"Diana, we could arrange for some training exercises. The first is to lead the potential hostages to a few hiding places and they can use the bond to guide Mr Potter here. Then, we shall have to see if they can be echo-located when bound, blindfolded and unaware of their position. Finally, we can try various methods when they are in enchanted sleep. We should probably start on that this coming week, as February draws ever closer.

"Perhaps there are muggle means that we could use? How about providing Mr Potter with infra-red lensed swimming goggles?"

"That could work, Jason. Maybe the Young Adventurers have something that we could use. We must ask them.

"Rex, can you come here a minute please?" Rex, who had come through one of the portals to visit Luna, was chatting to his new friend nearby.

"Of course, Diana."

"Thank you. Do you know of anyone with a non-electronic means of swimming underwater?"

"I am sure that Jupiter could develop one, if he hasn't already.

"A number of underwater divers' goggles can have infra-red heat-vision lenses lowered mechanically; I believe. Jupiter would be able to get some in Rocky Beach easily enough."

"Thank you, Rex.

"Jason, how about teaching Harry to summon muggle scuba gear? Then he could cast verbally if he so requires…"

"I am sure that the rules wouldn't have been written with such equipment in mind, Diana. We could bring some with us for the Task and have it placed near the lake. Won't that make life easier?!

"He could still have some Gillyweed on his person as a backup plan. That way, we are covered either way."

"Thank you, all," Harry said happily. _My loves, we have a few plans in place. I'll keep you all safe, as I promised…_

The following morning, the young mages were led through the usual laps around the island, followed by press-ups, star jumps, and various stretching exercises. Once they had finished in the ice bath and the other young mages had finished for the day, Harry and his soulmates were sent back to their tent to change into swimwear.

Shortly afterwards, they were gathered on the beach. Parvati, Millie and Pansy had volunteered to be the "hostages" for Harry to find. As the first had been Harry's date for the Yule Ball and the last two had already taken the Potter surname officially, they were the most likely candidates for the Second Task in Remus' opinion.

"Well," Diana said, "you are using telepathy and Gillyweed only for now. We shall experiment with scuba gear and infra-red goggles from next week.

"Girls, you are to say goodbye to your soulmates, then take two hours' worth of Gillyweed and our guards in scuba gear shall escort you to an underwater cage and lock you in. Harry, you are to take an hour's worth forty minutes later and the girls shall guide you to their cage. If you fail to find them in an hour, the guards shall release them and take them to the surface. If the Gillyweed wears off early, then spin yourselves into Furies, ladies. That should allow you extra time to hold your breath and signal for the guards to release you.

"Harry, here is a key to the cage. Good luck, everyone."

The three hostages kissed their other female soulmates goodbye and walked to the sea. Millie and Pansy were in green bikinis and Parvati in a red one. Harry was in red swimming trunks and was also on the shoreline.

"Goodbye, my love," said Millie, before pulling Harry in for a snog. "I hope to be rewarding you with a longer one in due course." She winked at him. After that, first Parvati and then Pansy copied her actions, before each took their Gillyweed and disappeared below the waves, accompanied by Amazon guards in scuba gear.

Forty minutes later, Diana signalled for Harry to kiss his other four soulmates goodbye and take his own Gillyweed and dive in.

_I'm underwater, darlings. Where do I go?_

_Swim to the left, Harry darling, then turn right at that coral reef._

_Thanks, Pans. Are you all alright?_

_Yes, Harry. Our cage isn't exactly spacious, but there is a comfortable enough bench for us to sit upon. Our Gillyweed is lasting well so far._

_I'm glad about that, Parv. How far away are you?_

_It took about twenty minutes and there is a clear swim to the surface, Harry. You have plenty of time. Don't rush!_

_I won't, Millie._

Once Harry had reached the coral reef, he turned right. _Which way do I take now, sweethearts?_

_There should be three caves directly in front of you._

_I can see them. Which one do I take?_

_The left one, Harry. It broadens into a grotto, with an aperture in the ceiling. Swim through it and our cage is directly in front of you._

_Thanks, Millie. I'll see you al in less than ten minutes, hopefully._

Harry swam into the cave indicated, found the grotto and swam through the aperture. The cage was on an underwater ledge behind the aperture. It was made of stainless steel and had a padded bench of some sort at the rear, upon which the three hostages were seated. He swam up, unlocked the door at the front of the cage and opened it for the three prisoners to swim through. Harry noticed that the Amazon guards were on a nearby ledge in scuba gear. They were only a few yards away; in case the girls had needed releasing quickly in an emergency.

Whilst there was a beach in a nearby cove, there was ample time left for the four soulmates to swim back to their original starting point. Once the effects of Harry's had worn off, he emerged from under the waves to be greeted with kisses from Daphne, Tracey, Ginny and Wednesday. Twenty minutes or so later, Pansy, Millie and Parvati surfaced, back to normal. After kissing their female soulmates, they rewarded Harry with the promised extended snogging sessions. "_My hero!_" Parvati sighed dreamily.

"We shall set you a more challenging search for your three beautiful damsels in distress tomorrow afternoon, Harry," Diana told him. "From next week, we shall be experimenting with options for what to do if they are unaware of your route or even unconscious."

"I shall ask the Ancient One to work on some meditation techniques early next week," Jason added. "You should be able to sense exactly where a conscious soulmate or, indeed, other coven member is over a reasonable area. Ultimately, you should be able to do that when the fellow coven members are unconscious, but you would need the Doctor's TARDIS to do the tracing without months' worth of study.

"We shall start working on the use of infra-red goggles and silently cast tracking spells also. Would Ms Patil and the two Ms Potters be happy being bound and blindfolded or placed in enchanted sleep to test this?"

"Harry needs to be prepared for anything," Pansy noted. "I consent happily!" Millie and Parvati both agreed.

"We should try it with the other four of you in due course," Harry noted. "I could see the Judges going for Daphne and Tracey as the daughters of allied families or Ginny, given my friendship with her family. As for Wednesday, I can't imagine the Judges wanting the feared lawyer Gomez Addams going after them. Still, I wouldn't leave _that_ to chance either!"

"Sadly, Mr Potter, I fear that you could well be right."

"I've learned to fear the worst when it comes to wizards and logic, Mr Blood. Please call me Harry."

"Thank you, _Harry._"

Each afternoon that week, Harry was set an increasingly circuitous route to find where Millie, Pansy and Parvati's cage had been hidden. Every time he had located the hostages with enough time to surface before the effects his Gillyweed or theirs hah worn off.

"You are making excellent progress, Harry," Jason told him on the Friday evening.

"Thank you, Professor Blood. I am determined to protect my soulmates, come hell or highwater."

Later that evening, the Portal from 0001 Cemetery Lane opened and Lurch came through carrying a large gas barbecue. He put it down in front of Pugsley's tent, grunted, and went back to collect three gas cannisters. "Thank you, Lurch," said Pugsley.

Gomez then emerged from the portal. "Pugsley, Wednesday, my dears, I hope that the barbecue is suitable for you. Your mother, grandmama, Uncle Fester and I are looking forward to tomorrow."

"_C'est ce que je voulais, papa,_" Wednesday gushed. "_Merci beaucoup!_"

"We shall be back tomorrow morning with the meat," Gomez told his children.

"Thanks again, Dad, Lurch," Pugsley responded. "Wow, this contraption should cook the sausages, burgers and the rest to perfection!

"Given the size of those gas cannisters, we should be able to throw several barbecues before we need any more!"

"Hi sweetheart!" said Jean Granger, embracing Hermione the following afternoon. "How are Ron and Padma treating you?"

"Like the wonderful witch that she is!" Ron grinned.

"That is a great answer, Ron!" John Granger laughed. "_Keep it that way!_"

"You are all looking healthy," Jean noted.

"It must be all that exercise that we have been getting," Padma laughed. "My abs have never been so toned!"

_That toned tummy was always sexy, Pads!_

_Thanks, Hermione. You have great abs too!_

"Mentally flirting again, Hermione?"

"Oh yes, Dad. Pads and I were complimenting each other on our tummies.

"Ron's family should be joining us soon, with Pads' due in 15 minutes or so."

"Have either of your families been to a barbecue before?" Jean asked. "John uses a charcoal barbecue in our back garden at least two or three times each summer.

"If the weather is good this summer, the five of us must have a few days in the back garden. Hermione and I like to sunbathe on deckchairs with good books in our hands, whilst John prepares the barbecue. Later, Hermione and I prepare the salads and bring them outside with the coleslaw and condiments, whilst John cooks the burgers and sausages."

"That sounds like fun," Ron agreed. "It will be good to spend time together as a family."

"Of course," Padma agreed. "Ron can help with the barbecue and I with the salads. You would need to teach Ron how first, mind, but…"

"I don't think that John would mind teaching you, Ron. We _meant _to give you a younger brother or sister, Hermione darling, but it just never happened.

"Luckily, our wonderful daughter proved to be a witch with two soulmates, one of each sex, so we _did_ get a son and another daughter after all!"

Hermione pulled both her parents and both her soulmates into a five-way hug! "_Thank you, Mum and Dad! My family!_

"Hi, Mr and Mrs…"

"It is _Mum and Dad_ to you, Hermione!" Molly Weasley told her firmly. "The same goes for you, Padma dear!"

"I think, Molly," Jean noted with a grin, "that you and Arthur need to join our little huddle!"

"Harry, my boy, this is Harry Dresden. The White Council has asked him to be your liaison with them."

"It is nice to meet another Harry, Mr Dresden."

"Likewise, Mr Potter. Nice place that you have here.

"There aren't many buildings so far. _Cool! I have this effect on buildings, pal!_"

Harry Potter got the sense that his fellow Harry was a force to be reckoned with. He wasn't someone you wanted to mess with!

"In any event," the other Harry continued, "I hope to teach you all some tricks of the trade. The White Council also wants to monitor this mixed wizard and muggle interaction, with a view to assessing its effectiveness.

"If you have any questions, I'll be here at least a couple of times a week."

"Thank you again, Mr Dresden." _This chap seems friendly, as well as scarily powerful…_

"I'll tell you what, kid. You call me Harry and I'll call you Harry. How does that sound?"

"I like that, Harry! Something tells me that you will be a good friend and a very useful ally…"

With help from Harry and Parvati, Wednesday and Pugsley grilled the meat to perfection. The salads that Hermione, Padma, Pansy and Millie prepared were well-balanced and with a variety of dressings. As with their previous social evening, it was considered a firm success.


	11. Chapter 11: The New Olympus Academy

_"We shall meet again, Potter!" Harry could hear the self-styled Lord Voldemort's distinctive sibilant tones. "You are to be witness to my reincorporation. Then you and all you love must die!"_

_Harry Potter! This is just a nightmare. Your mental link with Tom Riddle was broken when you bonded when Parvati._

_Lady Hecate? Is that you?_

_Yes, Harry. You, Ginny, Millicent and Pansy have good reasons for nightmares. In your pasts are bad memories. The tournament is playing on your mind. Riddle is lurking in the darkness, waiting to return. Your fears are causing you to dream. I, however, am protecting your mind and those of the rest of my Coven from evil dreams._

_Thank you, my lady. I shall be forever in your debt. Voldemort is so much more experienced than me and has skills that I can only dream about. I get so overwhelmed sometimes…_

_Steps are to be taken to neutralise him, Harry. He doesn't know about your new allies or that you are now telepathic and have a superpowered alter ego. With the training and backup that we shall give you and the rest of the coven, Riddle shall get the shock of his foul and unnaturally extended existence._

_Again, thanks, my lady. I am sure that I shall have better dreams now._

_Sweet dreams._

"Remus, can you get enchanted engagement rings? If so, what can they do?"

"Well, Harry, there are automatic resizing charms. You should ask for those to be included, as your soulmates still have some growing to do. There are also charms against accidental damage and to warn the wearer of the presence of love potions, poisons and other dangerous potions.

"A really powerful enchanter might be able to include a multiple-use emergency portkey, taking the wearer to a refuge point with a pre-set password. Given who we have with us, I would get rings with the resizing and accidental damage resistance charms and ask one of your tutors do the enchanting for you."

"Thanks, Remus. Should I ask the fathers' permission first? I mean, not of Millie and Pans' fathers, obviously, but…"

"It is traditional, Harry. Bear in mind, though, that all five other fathers have accepted the soul bonds already. They all know that you could never willingly hurt their daughters and already consider you to be their son-in-law in all but name. As such, you have nothing to fear."

"Thank you, Remus. I was planning to ask them today, before finding a way to take my ladies out ring shopping over the next couple of weeks. How we prevent Riddle finding out…"

"Why don't you ask Gomez and Morticia to take you all out shopping in muggle America? Tom Riddle has no agents that we know of there."

"Thank you, Remus."

Harry did manage to take the portals to ask Daphne, Tracey, Ginny, Parvati and Wednesday's fathers for permission to marry their daughters. All said parents did was remind him that he was effectively married to said daughters already, but that he had their blessings. Harry also asked Giles Greengrass as Millie and Pansy's legal guardian for his blessing to propose to them. This was also granted willingly. Gomez and Morticia knew a firm of magical jewellers of absolute discretion. They would arrange a visit for Harry, his ladies and Remus and Tonks to visit them the following Saturday.

After that, he took his soulmates for a romantic stroll along the beach. "I know that we are technically already married, but I want to get engaged to you all formally. Earlier today, I spoke to Daffy, Trace, Gin, Parv and Weds' fathers and they all gave me their blessings, with Giles Greengrass also giving me his as Millie and Pans' guardian.

"Darlings," he got down on one knee, "I love you all. _Will you marry me?!_"

"_Yes!_" all seven replied in unison. They all rushed up to him, pulled him to his feet and took it in turns to kiss him. Once Tracey had been the last of the seven to claim her kiss, all eight soulmates shared a group hug.

"Weds, your parents are arranging for us to visit a jewellers' shop that they know to be discrete. They are arranging for us, Remus and Tonks to visit the shop with them on Saturday.

"What would you say to a set of eight identical engagement rings being commissioned, one for each of us?"

"That sounds marvellous, _mon amour,_" Wednesday assured him. "Any ideas for a wedding date?"

"I was thinking of Ginny's sixteenth birthday in about thirty-one months' time. We would all be of age in Scotland and with parental consent in England and Wales. Daffy's parents are Millie and Pans' legal guardians and so would be the ones required to consent."

"_Cool!_ I will have no trouble remembering our anniversary then!"

"I always wanted a summer wedding," Parvati agreed. "Why don't we have it here? I assume that the Amazons can conduct a wedding ceremony according to their laws?"

"Certainly, Parv. I'll speak to Diana."

Parvati thanked Harry in turn with a long kiss.

After a shorter session of exercise than usual the following day, the young mages were assembled on the beach in front of the Ancient One. "For your first week of magical training, we are focusing on meditation techniques. This is essential for such disciplines as occlumency, the ability to cloud your mind to defend it from external attack. By the end of our sessions, a powerful telepath should still be able to read your minds, but nobody else.

"There are also certain benefits to your soul bonds that should be developed via meditation. It will help you speak in your minds and even know exactly where each of you are at any given time. I have been led to believe that this might be useful.

"We shall begin by burning some incense in a bowl and play some soothing Himalayan music on the gramophone. This should create the right spiritual atmosphere.

"_Ah!_ Now we are ready. Close your eyes and focus on nothing but the scent and the music.

"_Relax! Just relax…_"

"That was interesting," Hermione commented afterwards. "Nothing like Hogwarts, but I feel more of a connection to my magic than ever before. I also feel more at ease than ever."

"True," Susan agreed. "I also seemed to sense the presence of my soulmates. There was not so much of a feeling of the rest of you in our coven, but there was still _something there_. It also felt more passive and not the more active sense of our usual telepathic chats."

"I felt something similar, Sue," Neville commented.

"As did I," Harry admitted. "If we can focus on that a bit more over the rest of the week, we should have a plan for the Second Task.

"I wonder when our other lessons start?"

"It is still early," Jason Blood noted from nearby. "What have you learned in Defence Against the Dark Arts to date? We could start reviewing what everyone knows. After that, we can start planning on teaching you what you still need to learn.

"From what Remus tells me, you should mostly have a good grounding from your year with him. If Mr Moody is teaching you this year, you must have learned something from him. He was the best wizard fighter I've seen in many a long year."

"You know Mad-Eye Moody?" Ron asked. "When did you meet him?"

"One advantage of being on the White Council's _'Do not anger at all costs!'_ list is that the Ministries, Congresses, Bureaux nearby tend to assign their best men when you are in the vicinity. Alastor was the Ministry of Magic's best man. I remember battling Klarion and Teekl with Alastor a few years or so back.

"In any event, Mr Weasley, I am sure that he would make a good defence instructor. He has fought dark wizards for decades and captured or killed more of them than probably even he can count."

"Thank you, Mr Blood. You had better call me Ron. There are three Mr Weasleys here for one thing."

"And technically five Mrs Weasleys," Katie noted. "Throw in three Mrs Longbottoms and seven Mrs Potters and this could get really confusing!"

"Most of us haven't taken our man's surname yet, Katie," Hermione pointed out.

"I _did_ say _technically_, Hermione! It was also intended as a _joke…_"

"We haven't taken Fred's surname yet either," Alicia added with a grin.

"I shall just address you all by your given names then, if I may? That should prevent any further debate on who answers to what…"

"Well, we don't share any first names, so that shouldn't be a problem…"

"At any rate, can you provide me with a list of what hexes, jinxes and curses that you each know, as well as the relevant counter spells? In addition, provide any other defensive spells that you know and what dark creatures that you have covered. This should allow me to tailor an appropriate course to cover your development needs. The elder among you probably don't need to go through material you have already covered, so I might need to divide the class at some point.

"You should probably all do the same for your other subjects as well. My fellow instructors and I can then decide on a development plan for each of you personally. This should make each of you into the best witch or wizard that you could ever be."

As each of the young mages began to write a list of the spells, potions, plants, creatures and heavenly bodies that they had studied, Jason allowed himself a wry smile. _Whatever you have planned, young Riddle, you don't know how badly it shall go for you._

_Now, _Jason mused, looking at Harry, _to do something about the rest of those foul abominations that are keeping Riddle from Death…_

"What do we do about the other horcruxes?" the Doctor asked the other _Powers That Be_. "If we can get all bar that poor snake destroyed before the graveyard, then Riddle is in for a nasty shock!"

"We are taking Harry and his soulmates to Hogwarts in a few weeks," Athena pointed out. "Perhaps we could persuade him to loan the Sword of Gryffindor to us? He should be able to escort a couple of us to the Room of Requirements without that impostor knowing.

"At least, the woman was separated from the snake some years ago. That is one less thing for us to worry about, at least."

"_Indeed!_" Aslan roared. "We must destroy them. _Such vile offences against the natural order cannot be tolerated!_

"Soon, my friends, it shall be time for Riddle to _flee from death _no more! Then we can remove all who fear that which is different to them from their positions of power in British wizardry.

"_We must ensure that our interventions shall lead to glorious hope dawning on the wizard world…_"

"We would like to try to something different today," Diana told Harry and his soulmates as they were gathering around her on the beach. "Instead of a treasure hunt for Parvati, Pansy and Millie, Harry, we are going to be teaching you all how to swim underwater using scuba apparatus.

"Jupiter Jones was able to supply some diving goggles, two sets for each of you. The ones we are using today are for clear water. Once you are more confident, we shall descend deeper into the depths to experiment with infrared lensed ones. Since peaty Scottish lochs are unlikely to offer great visibility, you shall be using your set for the Second Task, Harry. Until we know if your hostage shall be awake, we should assume that you might need to find her the old-fashioned way!

"You should be able to cast spells when breathing through your aqualungs, Harry, easier than if you are using Gillyweed to breathe. As far as any of us can tell, if you have the equipment hidden near the lake and then summon it to you, it doesn't contravene the rules of the Tournament."

"Few pureblood European wizards would probably ever think of any mage using muggle equipment in a magical competition," Pansy noted. "If they wouldn't think it _would_ or even _could_ happen, why would they make a rule forbidding it?! That sadly sounds all too believable."

"Our estranged fathers would reject the matter out of hand," Millie agreed. "Professor Dumbledore might think of it but would be more amused than horrified at the thought."

"That sounds like the Dumbledore that I know!" Harry grinned.

"That noted," Diana continued, "I'll give you a primer on how to use the equipment. Once done, there should be enough air in your tanks for a couple of hours of underwater swimming.

"My friends, let's get started!"

Harry waved to their pod as the dolphins swam up to him, his soulmates and Diana. _It is good to see you all again, my friends._

_As it is to see you, my children,_ the Matriarch responded. _Good afternoon to you too, Wonder Woman. You are always welcome to share our fishing grounds._

_Thank you, good friends. The dolphins have always been welcomed to hunt in our waters and always will be._

Wonder Woman was in a sort of blue wetsuit that she had spun herself into, as opposed to her usual attire as a superheroine. Whilst she had told the teens that, as a demigoddess, she could breathe for long periods underwater unaided, she was using her own scuba gear to further demonstrate to her students the techniques for breathing underwater. Not to her surprise, they were all fast learners.

Harry was increasingly confident that the Second Task shouldn't be too tricky. _For once in my life, the fates aren't conspiring against me!_

_Not when there are seven good women always with you, Harry!_

_Thanks, Pans. Throw in the rest of the coven and I might stand a chance against Voldemort…_

_I think that you are in better stead than that, Harry. He doesn't know about the Furies and Berserkers, not to mention our new allies. That Voldie punk is going down, mon amour!_

_Thanks, Weds! Our man is wonderful, but he does have a self-confidence issue or two…_

_I can hear you too, Trace!_

_You were meant to, Harry my love! I was going to add that you always have us to raise your spirits…_

_Trace, you have earned yourself a nice long kiss later!_

"You do know that we don't have any assignments yet, don't you love?" Ron asked teasingly. "All we have done is exercise and practice meditation so far."

"We have made lists of the spells that we know, Ron…"

"That we have already handed in, darling! Ron's right!"

"But, Pads, what if they test us…?"

"Not until our lessons begin next week, Hermione, and you can do all those spells flawlessly already, as you know. You'll be fine!"

"Ron's right! We," Padma said, pulling Hermione into an embrace, "are going to be reviewing your kissing skills. _Pucker up!_"

"That was fun!" said Millie, as she sunbathed with Astoria, Luna and her soulmates later. "Whilst I preferred using _Gillyweed_, this muggle getup would be better for spellcasting. If I am a hostage at the bottom of an icy cold loch, I want my dashing hero to have his full arsenal of spells available to him. The quicker he rescues me, the longer he gets snogged for afterwards!

"_Did you hear me, Harry?!_"

"_Yes, darling! The quicker I rescue you, if you are my hostage, the longer I get snogged for later. _If I had needed further incentive, that would be it. I never have any objection to the idea of a long kiss with one of my soulmates, as you well know.

"In the meantime, how about a mock duel in a diving session later in the week? That would allow us to experiment with much more effective this scuba gear is for that. That could be fun.

"We must also get back to me having to find and rescue you, Pans and Parv again. I don't suppose that they would let us practice _that_ properly at Hogwarts!"

"Probably not, no!" Daphne chuckled.

"It was good of you invite me, Mr Lovegood," Rex Milligan noted, as Xenophilius invited him into the house shaped like a rook in Ottery St Catchpole. _"_It is _very you and Luna…_"

"No problem, Mr Milligan," the eccentric wizard told him. "I must admit that it is the first time that I have had a muggle for tea. I take it that you like a good cream tea?"

"Of course! I _am_ English!

"Now, Luna told me that you had a motive for inviting me down to Devon…"

"I did indeed, Mr Milligan. How would you like to be the first Muggle Correspondent of a British wizard newspaper?"

"You make me an intriguing offer, Mr Lovegood. I am most flattered. It would be an honour to…

"_Fossilised Fishhooks!_ What about your Statute of Secrecy?! Officially, most wizards are unaware that the Six Goddesses and the other Powers That Be have introduced us to you. From what I hear from Luna, your Ministry of Magic sound like a right bunch of prehistoric specimens, unlikely to approve of my appointment."

"Naturally, your appointment won't be announced until the Six Goddesses have authorised it. That will probably be when the stars are in alignment and the Nargles are in season."

"_Petrified Paintpots!_ _What is it with you Lovegoods?!_ When _exactly _are Nargles in season?!"

"They live in mistletoe and are mischievous thieves. Luna has had problems with them at Hogwarts, but her Butterbeer cork necklace should keep them at bay."

"Well, I haven't seen any mistletoe on Potter Island, so she should be safe enough.

"In any case, Mr Lovegood, I provisionally accept your offer. Please call me Rex!"

"Welcome to _The Quibbler_, Rex. Oh, and call me Xenophilius. I think that we shall be good friends.

"The Wrackspurts must be affecting me again. Where are my manners? I promised you a cream tea. It is time to put the kettle on.

"Now, Rex, what are your thoughts on the Heliopath Conspiracy?"

"Come again? _What the Dickens is a Heliopath when it's at home?!_"

"Young Rex, you have much to learn…"


	12. Chapter 12: Boogie! Boogie!

"Luna," said Rex, coming through the portal the following afternoon, "I am now _The Quibbler_'s first ever Muggle Correspondent. At least, I will be once the Six Goddesses have revealed us to the British Wizard World.

"Your dad is _a bit eccentric,_ but you can't help liking him all the same. He's a lot like you. One of these days I must introduce you to Staggers…"

"Why would anyone call their child _that?!_ _How odd...?_"

"_James Oliver Stagg_, Luna. is a fellow alumnus of Sheldrake Grammar School. As with Jigger, he earned the nickname in the First Form and it stuck. I would have thought that a British schoolgirl would have known about our tradition of affectionate nicknames…"

"Like _Looney! _I understand you now, Rex."

"From what Ginny and Astoria say, Luna, I don't think that was intended to be all that affectionate.

"Hi, darling, Jean." The Dana girls had arrived through the portal.

"Hi, Rex, Luna," Jean beamed, as Louise merely flung herself into Rex's arms and kissed him softly.

"Good morning," said Astoria, coming out of her and Luna's tent. "It's almost time for our morning run, Luna."

"We must join you one morning, when we are appropriately dressed," Louise noted.

"Ask one of the older members of the Coven to transfigure your clothes into the appropriate attire," Astoria suggested. "We would love to have you along for our run.

"Luna, Gin has said that we can meet her outside the Potter tent in a few minutes."

"That should be fun, Tori. I never realised how much I missed out on in having hardly any friends.

"Gin has always been kind to me. Ravenclaw, however, was a different matter. Padma and Lisa Turpin are nice enough and Cho's pleasant enough once you get her away from Marietta Edgecombe. My dormmates, however, seem to have a sense of humour that I don't quite _get…_"

"Well, when we go to Hogwarts to see Harry kick his fellow Champions' arses in the Second Task, Gin and I are going to have _a friendly discussion_ with them. _Nobody bullies our friend and gets away with it!_"

"Thank you, Tori.

"I thought that Harry was having to rescue a hostage from the lake, though. Is the duelling before, during or after?"

"_Sorry?!_"

"You said that Harry was going to kick the others' arses. Presumably that would be in a…"

Rex chuckled. "I think that Astoria was talking metaphorically, Luna. She meant that he was going to win the task comfortably."

"_I understand her now!_ Sorry, Tori."

"That's quite alright, Luna." Astoria pulled her friend into a fond hug. "You may be as mad as a box of frogs, but you are still my friend."

"Thanks, Tori. _I think…_"

When the whole party had gathered for the morning run, Angelina transfigured Rex and the Danas' outer clothing into tracksuits and their shoes into pumps. They happily joined in the run. As they did so, they told them of how the sister sleuths had first met the chronicler back in 1967.

"After Jean had hugged Rex goodbye at the airport, I did the same," Louise remembered. "_Something _made me kiss his cheek and for longer than a friendly peck too."

"It was a shame that you didn't kiss him on the lips, Sis, as you would have been married for some thirty-five years by now.

"That reminds me. Do the pair of you have a wedding date in mind?"

"Well, why don't we have a joint wedding with the other three happy couples."

"Two, surely, Rex. Us, George and Jupiter and Jigger and Velma makes three couples, not four."

"Diana mentioned that Sapphic marriages are understandably the norm amongst Amazons. Why not ask her to officiate? That way, Jean can get hitched to Linda too.

"Since multiple marriages seem to be legal, maybe Nancy and Ned can make an honest man of Frank and Evelyn and Doris can marry Joe and Iola. _Wouldn't that be wizard, darling?!_"

"_Thank you, Rex!_" Jean shouted happily. "Keep him, Sis! I couldn't ask for a better brother-in-law!"

Luna was looking puzzled. "Wouldn't that be an Amazon custom, Rex, rather than a wizard one?"

"_What?! Crystallised Cheesecakes!_ I meant _wizard_ as in an old slang term for brilliant, Luna.

"We used it all the time when I was at Sheldrake Grammar School, Luna. Anything that was jolly good was wizard and anything that was bad was _ozard_. That was First Form humour at its worst. Still, when you are eleven, anything is funny."

"_Ozard?!_"

"Yes, ozard is the opposite of wizard. _We're off to see the wizard…_ Only he wasn't a wizard in the film or presumably the book for that matter. Childish, yes, but we were children then.

"In any event, Luna, I was saying how great it was that my friends and I are organising weddings…

"_Fossilised Fishhooks!_ There is something I need to do.

"Louise Dana," Rex got down on one knee and grasped her by the hands, "will you marry me?"

"That was what we were just discussing, you idiot! _Yes!_" He stood up and the couple kissed. "I guess it's official now, Sis!"

"I'll go and propose to Linda now," Jean replied, "and then we can all go shopping for rings together. Perhaps we could have that joint ceremony in the Spring? _Isn't love grand, Sis?!_"

"Jon and Penny have invited us for dinner and drinks on Sunday evening at _The Gay Dolphin_. Since the Three Investigators and Mystery Inc will be there, we can discuss the joint ceremony properly.

"Linda and Bob are invited too. We can invite them now. I wonder if Bob has a soulmate out there somewhere?"

"Congratulations, Rex," Luna beamed at him. "Miss Dana, people who hurt my friends are liable to suffer from the _Wrackspurts…_"

"I think she is giving you the _shovel speech, _Sis!"

"I didn't mention spades, nor was I going to. All I was doing was warning your sister against hurting Rex…"

Not for the first time, Luna wondered what she had said that had Rex, Louise, Jean and the muggle-raised mages within earshot convulsed with laughter.

The following morning, wedding plans sorted, Rex took his now official fiancée to the Science Museum in London. They went into a disused storeroom away from the main exhibits, where there was one of the strangest sights Louise had ever seen. About five-feet tall, made of grey steel, with blue, pink and red lights on its "face" and arms and two black panels on its "chest," stood a robot wearing a sleep mask and making snoring noises. Rex removed the sleep mask and the robot stopped snoring.

"Is that you, Clever Clogs?!" the robot asked in slightly buzzing electronic tones. "Stringbean?! Even _Bootface?!_"

"No, Mickey, it is Rex Milligan. I interviewed you and Ken some years ago."

"I recognise you now, Mush! _Boogie! Boogie!_"

"That's wizard! By the way, Ken gave me some Atomic Thunderbusters. He, Haley and Steve are being granted access to the _Royal Jelly Honey_. There is a new threat coming, Mickey. One that you would be best placed to help fight. You may be a prefabricated death-trap with all the dexterity of a chap performing brain surgery in oven gloves, but it involves _magic_. Where else can we find a robot made by a then-teenaged boffin and a Wiccan?

"Mickey, meet Louise Dana, the beautiful super sleuth that I am freshly betrothed to. Darling, meet Metal Mickey, the only known _magical robot…_"

"It's good to meet you, Toots! _Boogie! Boogie!_"

"He was made in the late 1970's by a family obsessed with disco. Mickey's a bit clumsy, but his central processors are in the right place.

"Mickey, we are taking you to the Bermuda Triangle by express magical energy portal."

The robot opened its "mouth" and Rex dropped in a sweet that looked like a lemon _bonbon_. "Thank you for the Atomic Thunderbuster, Mush. The naughty museum curators often forget to feed me. I must use love-magic on them. _Boogie! Boogie!_"

"_Why do you keep saying Boogie?!_"

"This is why, Toots." Louise saw a soft-pink heart-shaped light glow from Mickey's left chest-plate, followed by a beam of pink light emitted from it that seemed to bathe her. As it did, the strains of _Waterloo_ came from the robot's right chest-plate. _Something _compelled Louise to dance along to the jerky dance that Mickey was doing. She was by nature a kindly woman, unless you were a kidnapper or a thief, but even so the feeling of love towards the rest of mankind was overwhelming. Before long, she was disco dancing with her fiancé.

"I have never felt _anything_ like that before, Rex."

"Mickey calls it _love-magic_, sweetheart. I can't think of a better description.

"This _Voldemort coot_ sounds like a proper _odious oik!_ He needs some _love-magic_ if anyone does. I intend to see that he gets some!"

"That sounds wonderful, love. In the meantime, Mickey, do you take requests?"

"Within reason, Toots."

"Do you have any Doris Day in your memory banks? Please could you play _Secret Love_ whilst I dance with the man that I loved so secretly I never knew it myself."

"Of course, Toots. _Boogie! Boogie!_"

"I could have sworn that I just saw Rex, Louise, Jean and their friends come through that portal with a metal man. It must be the _Wrackspurts!_"

"_I am a robot, Toots!_"

"It speaks! My name is Luna, Mr Robot, not Toots. Toots would be a silly name. And what does the A stand for? _Augustus? Algernon?_"

"Mush, what planet does this Toots come from?"

"This one, Mickey. Most extra-terrestrials don't have Devon accents, for one thing.

"Luna, this is Metal Mickey…"

"That's strange. He said that he was a Mr A. Robot…"

"It is presumably called Metal Mickey, Luna. A robot is a type of Muggle machine."

"Really, Hermione? That's a shame. I was hoping that it was some new species of golem.

"Sorry, Metal Mickey. I've never met a mechanical man before."

"Don't mention it, Toots."

"Tori, Gin, is Toots a friendly nickname or a not so friendly one? I'm afraid that I can never understand these things."

"Mickey calls most males Mush and most females Toots, Luna."

"Really, Rex? That's a relief. I don't think that Toots suits me. Luna does."

"Don't ever change, Luna!" Harry laughed.

"What does Metal Mickey actually do?" Hermione asked. "More to the point, how is he working in a magical area?"

"Metal Mickey is probably the world's only known magical robot…"

"_Electronics don't work in Hogwarts!_ I know that this isn't Hogwarts, but it is known that powerful mages can have trouble using electronic devices. Harry Dresden was telling me that he often has that problem. As such, how would a magical robot work?!

"Perhaps if he could give me a demonstration…" As Hermione said this, the heart-shaped light glowed once more, and Hermione found herself bathed in the beam that emanated from it. Within seconds, she was dancing happily to _How Deep is your Love_. As she danced, she levitated into the air. "I feel so _deliriously happy and light_ that it is _quite unreal…_

"Whatever Metal Mickey may be, he is clearly capable magically. Thank you for bringing him."

"No problem, Hermione. Metal Mickey is an old acquaintance. You can't help liking him…"

"Of course, Mush! Disco never goes out of fashion! _Boogie! Boogie!_"

"Why couldn't Cle – I mean, _Ken _– have been a fan of James Last? _Petrified Paintpots! _I know that it was 1980, but _honestly…!_"

Later that afternoon, Harry and his soulmates had just finished their scuba diving practice for the day. Diana came up to them, alongside a few Amazon guards. "I know that you have only been practising meditation for three days, Harry. Do you already think that you could tell if a soulmate was nearby, even if she couldn't see or speak?"

"Yes, Diana."

"Let us test this! Millie, would you consent to be led somewhere out of sight on the island bound, gagged and blindfolded please? In forty minutes, Harry will search for you, relying only on your bond to locate you. Is this OK?"

"Of course." Millie went over to Harry and kissed him soundly. "As always, that is a prequel for the proper snogging to follow once you have rescued your damsel in distress.

"See you all later, my darlings. _Do your worst, ladies!_"

"Thank you, Millie dear. My guards have been told to tie the knots securely, but not too tightly. So, if you could turn around and cross your wrists behind your back please…?"

One of the Amazon guards tied Millie's wrists together with cord, whilst a second gagged her with a knotted cloth. After the second guard had blindfolded her with another cloth, they led her off into a forested area of the island.

_I'm alright, my loves. It is disorienting not being able to see, but otherwise OK, thank Merlin! My hands aren't tied uncomfortably tightly, as Diana promised._

_That's good. I'll see you soon, Millie, I promise._

_As always, darling, the quicker you find me, the longer you get snogged for afterwards._

_I'm looking forward to it. Stay calm, sweetheart._

_Harry can't help rescuing pretty maidens in peril, Millie._

_From the sound of things, I'm not in any real danger, Gin. I assume that they wanted to see how Harry would search for a bound and blindfolded hostage when not deep underwater at first._

_Do you think that I might be the hostage next time, mon amour?_

_You could ask Diana, Weds. Why?_

_I want to give you the hero's reward next time, Harry!_

_You could just snog me senseless anytime, darling! Do I ever object?!_

_Merci beaucoup, mon amour!_

After a few minutes more of mental chatter, Millie started. _They are sitting me down, darlings. I think that this is my destination._

_Your presence seems close, Millie. I shouldn't be too long once I am sent to look for you._

_Thanks, Harry. One of my guards is tying my feet together. I'm in some sort of rocky nook by the feel of things._

_Thanks for the tip, darling. Given that you are blindfolded, that's as much description as we could reasonably expect from you._

_No problem, Harry. My leg bonds aren't too tight either. I should be comfortable enough for a while._

Forty minutes after Millie's "abduction" began, Harry kissed his other soulmates and began the search. He didn't begin with a tracking spell but meditated instead as he stood in the woodland and sensed that Millie's location seemed to be to the North East.

As Harry walked further, he walked up a steep hill out of the woodland. Whilst six of his soulmates seemed to be further away, he was relieved that the seventh was indeed feeling much nearer. _I'm getting nearer, Millie dear._

_That's marvellous, love. Whilst my bonds aren't particularly tight, my limbs are getting a bit stiff from lack of use!_

_I'm walking over the top of a hill. There are some rocky crags a few hundred yards away. Your thoughts seem to be coming from the base of one on the right._

_Once I feel that you are close by, I'll make what mumbling noises I can make through this bloody gag! That should confirm your suspicions._

_Thanks, my love. I'm nearly there. Do your best Millie! I can hear you! You'll be free in a minute!_

A_s _Harry heard Millie's muffled cries, he rounded an open grotto and saw his soulmate, the two guards nearby. He ran up and untied the cloths blindfolding and gagging her, before using a penknife that Diana had given him to cut the cords from her wrists and ankles. Millie rubbed life back into her limbs, before snuggling into Harry's arms. "So, Harry, are you ready for a thirty-minute snogging session?!"

Harry looked at Millie's tall curvaceous form. The T-shirt and shorts that she was wearing flattered her figure, toned from the sun and the regular exercise. Her brunette hair was long, and her eyes sparkled with joy. _Whoever would have thought that Millie would rival every girl on the island in pure beauty?! Wow! _"I am more than ready, Millie my True Love!" Seconds later, the couple were kissing furiously. _I heard that 'rival every girl on the island' thought, my dearest Harry…_

It was sometime later when they joined up again with their fellow soulmates on the beach. As Harry joined the group hug, he knew that he had found something worth fighting for. _Do your worst, Tom Riddle! I will beat you and live happily ever after with my seven gorgeous True Loves and our kids…_

_In a few years' time, darling, we will happily bear your children._

_Thanks, Daffy love. I think that you will be a fantastic mum! All of you will be wonderful at it. I hope that I will be a good dad…_

_A man as kind as you are, Harry, couldn't help but be a great father._

_Thanks, Pansy. I owe you a long kiss!_

_I'll be happy to collect it, my love!_


	13. Chapter 13: The Last Ones

"Are you ready to be kidnapped again, Millie?" Diana asked the following afternoon. "My guards are going to make Harry's search for you a bit longer and harder this time.

"This time, you are going to be tied up in an iron cage and carried to the chosen location. Since you will be staying inside the cage, you won't be able to get a feel for your surroundings. That said, while you will still be bound hand and foot and gagged, the cage shall be heavily draped throughout, thus dispensing with the need for a blindfold. It is a large enough cage to accommodate Pansy and Parvati too. They shall also have to be tied up and gagged, but at least you shall have some company.

"Pansy, Parvati, the choice is up to you. Do you each consent to join Millie in doleful captivity?"

Both girls nodded their agreement. They then joined Millie in kissing their other soulmates goodbye, whilst a cohort of Amazon guards carried in the cage. Covered in drapes, it was about seven-foot-long by six-foot-wide by three-foot-high, made of solid steel and with wooden poles extending from each corner.

"Remember, Harry," Millie said, before claiming a last quick kiss, "you have three grateful damsels to reward you for their liberation from bondage this time…" She winked at him, then nodded to Pansy and Parvati. "It is time, loves." As she said this, she walked over to the cage. Two Amazon guards unlocked and lifted the lid. Once the cage was open, the three hostages were bound and gagged, then lifted bodily and gently lowered inside. The lid was then closed and locked, whilst Diana gave a second key to Harry. Finally, the guards lifted the cage and carried it away.

_It's a good job that the cage floor is padded!_

_Yes, Pans. Whilst Millie is right about the knots not being too tight, being tied up and carried like this is bloody uncomfortable!_

_Remember the snogging session to come, girls!_

_I'll be as quick as I can, my darlings. Trust me!_

_We do, Harry. Millie, Parv and I know that we shall soon be free again. Daffy, Trace, Gin, Weds, kiss him for us please._

_I'm on it, Pans! Pucker up, Harry!_

_Anytime, Gin!_

Some minutes later, Parvati announced telepathically that the cage was being lowered. Shortly after that, Harry began his hunt. This time, the presence of the captives seemed to come from the West, which took him out of the woodland and onto a beach. Following the coastline revealed a small inlet, by the side of which was a platform on which the cage was laid. The Amazon guards were nearby. As Harry got closer, the muffled cries of his soulmates started.

_Thanks, ladies!_

_No problem, Harry! Now hurry!_

_I will be with you momentarily, Pans._

A moment later, Harry unlocked and opened the lid. He used his wand to levitate the hostages out, then gently lowered them to the ground. Once done, he untied the cloths gagging them and cut the cords from their wrists and ankles. "Are you OK, girls?"

"Yes, thank you, Harry," Parvati said. "Whilst spending time with Millie and Pans is always welcome, it is _not as much fun when bound and gagged in a cage!_ That said, if I am your hostage in the Second Task, I know that you will find me quickly."

"_Just snog him senseless, Parv! _My turn next!"

"Thanks, Pansy."

"For someone who spent over an hour bound and gagged in a cage, Pansy darling, you seem cheerful this evening…" Hermione's tones made it clear that she was joking, as the _Potter Island Book Club_ met up in the reading room of the library tent.

"_That _part of the afternoon wasn't much fun, no. What came next, however, more than made up for it. _Merlin! Harry can really kiss! Parv and Millie can too, for that matter…_

"More seriously, Hermione dear, if it had been Ron rescuing you and Padma from that cage, you would be feeling special too…" Pansy smiled knowingly at her friend.

"Being a damsel in distress doesn't really chime with my feminist sensibilities, Pans. I never dream of being rescued from doleful bondage by my boyfriend or husband. We should attempt to escape by our own efforts, not just wait for our man to save us!"

"True, Hermione," Hannah chimed in. "That said, if one of Harry's soulmates is to be held hostage at the bottom of the lake in a couple of weeks, he needs all the advantages that he can get. I am sure that the organisers are saying that every safety precaution will be taken. That said, those are the same geniuses who assured us that nobody under seventeen could compete in the tournament in the first place. _Merlin! How did that turn out again?!_"

Hermione sighed. "I can't disagree with you on that point, Han! _Poor Harry!_"

"We need to begin their fight training next week," Diana told the Six Goddesses and the other Powers That Be. "I don't know what obstacles Harry will have to overcome during the Second Task, but we must assume that there will be some…"

"Of course, Diana," Athena told her. "It is time to start getting the Furies and Raiders ready for battle. From what happens in other parts of the Multiverse, we need to ensure that Harry can put that foul abomination Riddle down once and for all.

"What about the horcruxes? Can your craft get to them, Doctor?"

The Time Lord frowned. "With full shields up, I can get into 12 Grimmauld Place easily enough, Lady Athena, and the Gaunt place. Hogwarts can be reached via a portal next week. Gringotts might be trickier. Hopefully, the old girl can materialise in the Lestrange Vault, or the Goddesses can persuade the goblins that there is a prohibited magical item inside it and let them in.

"If Professor Dumbledore can loan us that sword, we can destroy the abominations easily enough. By all accounts, he's good like that, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"_Good!_" Aslan half-said, half-roared. "We have a plan, my good friends. Now, I have an old friend to visit…"

A woman with greying long dark hair was seated in her flat. With a haunting bell-like chime, a pair of carved oak doors appeared in the room. "Come in, Will!" she called. At her words, the doors opened to reveal a stocky man some years her junior. He had straight mouse-brown hair, blue-grey eyes and a round face. As he stepped through the doors, his solemn expression cheered into a disarming grin. "It is good to see you, Susan." His accent suggested Buckinghamshire origins.

"Likewise, Will.

"So, the Last of the Old Ones visits the Last Friend of Narnia. Is the call business or pleasure?!"

"I don't know. There are _Dark Portents_ than an evil wizard is trying to return from a half-life. He calls himself a Dark Lord, but the Great Lords of the Dark remain banished outside of Time and Space.

"Something tells me that the two of us are about to have a visitor. He will show us what we need to do."

"Do we know this mysterious visitor?"

"I don't sense anything familiar, but there does seem to be a connection to you. Make of that what you will."

"Sometimes, Will Stanton, you remind me of… _Aslan!_" The Great Lion had indeed appeared in the room. Susan Pevensie quickly ran up to her old friend, threw her arms around his neck and kissed his nose. He responded by kissing hers with the wild kiss of a Lion who was Good, but never tame.

"It is good to see you again, Queen Susan the Gentle. It has been far too long…"

"I'm sorry, Aslan. After you told Peter and I that we could never return to Narnia, I felt so abandoned that I pretended that you, Narnia and the rest were all imaginary. Then that terrible day happened, and my parents, siblings and cousin were all gone. Jill Pole, Professor Kirke and Auntie Polly were also killed in that crash. If it wasn't for Merriman Lyon and later his protegee here taking me under their wing, I don't know what would have become of me.

"Are they all in Narnia with you? I would love to see them all again…"

"They are with me, Daughter of Eve, although Narnia is no more. The _Real Narnia_ in _My Country_ never shall end, and the Other Friends of Narnia are there. Your parents are in the _Real Britain_, which is connected to the _Real Narnia_.

"Companion of Merlin, your mentor and I are amongst a number of Champions known as the Powers That Be. What you have heard about Tom Riddle, the self-styled Lord Voldemort, is correct. The Dark Wizard is returning. I know that your powers as an Old One are limited when the Great Lords of the Dark are not involved, but you can still teach and advise. There are some wizard teenagers who need your help, Will. One of them is the Boy-Who-Lived himself."

"If Harry Potter needs my help, my Lord Aslan, then he shall have it!

"How is Merriman, by the way? Only Herne the Hunter is left who still speaks the _Old Speech_ now.

"Bran, Jane, Simon and Barney are still my best friends. My large family fill my life with joy. Still, I am the Last of the Old Ones, just as much as Susan is the Last Friend of Narnia. The others all departed for Avalon after our last victory over the Dark all those years ago. If it wasn't for Susan and Herne, my Watch would be unbearable."

"Ah, _Watchman,_ I can ensure that you will never be alone again. Queen Susan, with my breath, I make you an immortal with the power to vary your apparent age to match Will's." The Great Lion breathed on Susan. "Now you have a Companion in your Watch, Companion of Merlin.

"When he departs for Avalon, you will accompany him, Susan. You can visit the _Real Narnia _and the _Real Britain_ from there. By the way, Companion of Merlin, your family and friends will also go to the _Real Britain_ when the time comes, so you will never truly lose them either.

"Now, we must briefly visit _My Country_. It is time to celebrate the wedding of Queen Susan the Gentle to the Watchman Against the Dark."

"_Wedding!_"

"I think, Susan, that Aslan meant _Companion_ in the old sense. You are to be my _Consort_.

"My dearest Susan, I didn't know it before, but I have loved you for years. Will you…" He was cut off by Susan kissing him passionately.

"Will darling," Susan said, when they finally came up for air, "I think that answered your question. We can have a wedding for your family and friends later. My family is all long gone, as you know. Still, I shall see those that matter again very soon, albeit only for our Narnian wedding.

"We are ready, dear Aslan."

With that, they found themselves in what Susan recognised as the Great Hall of Cair Paravel Castle, only a larger and more beautiful version. A whole host of legendary Narnians was there, plus the other Seven Friends of Narnia, Susan's parents, Herne the Hunter, the Lady, the Seven Sleepers and all the Old Ones, including Merriman Lyon. At a breath from Aslan, Susan looked to be the same age as Will, and both were in lavish wedding attire. After a lavish ceremony presided over by Aslan himself, and Susan had said the words she had been wanting to say to her family for over forty years, she found herself kissing her new husband.

"So, until you join us in Avalon," Merriman told Will, "be of good cheer, keep the Watch and we will always be with you in spirit. Take good care of that companion of yours. Farewell."

"I will, Merriman. Bran and Jane named their youngest after you, by the way."

"He had better treat you right, Susan, or…"

"_I don't need my virtue defending, Peter, High King or not!_ If a Champion of the Light isn't good enough for my hand, who is?!

"Still," she hugged her elder brother tightly, "I have always missed you, Ed and Lu, Pete. I always will when you are here, and I am not. Now that I have said goodbye properly, I think that the pain will be less acute when I remember you all."

After some tearful farewells, Will and Susan found themselves back in her living room. "I shall take you to meet Mr Potter and company in a few days," Aslan promised.

"We'll see you then.

"Thank you, Aslan. It was… _He's vanished again! Typical!_"

"Well, I must take the Doors back to my place…"

"_No, you are not, husband of mine! It is our wedding night, remember!_"

"Then, my love, lead the way to your bedroom…"

The following afternoon on Potter Island, Harry and his soulmates were once again gathered around Diana on the beach after their scuba diving lesson. "Today, I thought that we would try having Harry look for an unconscious hostage. Millie dear, Jason here is going to put you into an enchanted slumber and my guards will carry you on a stretcher to your hiding place. Is that acceptable to you?"

"It sounds infinitely more comfortable than being bound and gagged, so yes!" Millie went over to Harry and kissed him. "As usual, darling, there shall be more of _that_ to come once I am back in your arms."

"Funny you should say that, Millicent," Jason Blood noted, "because Harry is to awaken you in true Fairy Tale style, with a True Love's Kiss." As he said this, the party of Amazon guards came in with a canvas stretcher. "Now, if our _Princess Aurora_ wants to lie down on the stretcher, please? I can then cast the enchantments…"

"I take it that means me…"

"You may not be a thin blonde, Millie Potter, but you will always be _my Sleeping Beauty_. I'll be kissing you awake before you know it."

"Considering I'll be asleep for most of it, Harry, that should go without saying!" She lay down on the stretcher and Jason waved his hands whilst muttering a quiet incantation. Within a few seconds, Millie was in a deep slumber. The Amazon guards carried the stretcher into the woods.

Forty minutes later, Harry began his search. This time, he couldn't speak to Millie through their mental link, but did sense peaceful contentment radiating from her. As he walked, he felt this presence get colder or hotter, indicating that he was on the correct path. After a few minutes in the woodland, he came to a lake surrounded by verdant grassland. Millie was softly snoring on her stretcher on the opposite bank of the lake.

Harry ran to Millie's side, knelt beside her and gently pressed his lips to hers. As he held the kiss, he felt her lips respond to it. Then she pulled him into her arms and deepened the kiss. _My hero!_

"We're going ring-shopping tomorrow, girls!" Pansy noted, as the Potter family sunbathed later that afternoon.

"_Oui!_ My family has invited us for lunch afterwards.

"Harry _mon amour_, should we organise an engagement party for the evening?"

"Of course, Weds! How about a formal meal followed by a dance?"

"That sounds perfect, darling," Daphne agreed.


End file.
